


Holden House

by Kalli (lilyangel)



Category: Original Work/Ghost Adventures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-12
Updated: 2011-11-08
Packaged: 2017-10-23 16:36:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 33,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/252486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilyangel/pseuds/Kalli
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kalli moves from New York to a small town in Louisiana. She moves to a beautiful old house but no one tells her the history of her new home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Jack

It’s always a sad day when we lose someone too early. Jack Donovan was just ten years old when illness took him from us. Little Jack is survived by his parents John and Heather. He also leaves behind a little sister Sarah, age three. No one truly understands why God sees fit to take one so young. One can only believe Jack was never meant to be in our lives for long. But in that short time he has touched so many lives. Truly an angel in disguise.

John and Heather couldn’t believe their luck. After trying for so long, they were finally going to add to their family. They have always wanted children. Heather had gotten pregnant once before but their little girl was stillborn. That didn’t stop them from trying again. This time would be different, Heather could feel it. “The Lord will allow us to keep this child,” Heather said to John. “As long as we keep our faith God will answer our prayers,” John said. Heather would do everything she could to make sure her baby was healthy. She followed her doctor’s advice and that of her priest. Church was a big part of their lives and has been there to help no matter what was going on.

Nine months later Jack William Donovan was born. A very healthy big boy. The nurses took him away to make sure everything was okay. When they brought him back, John and Heather couldn’t stop smiling. Their prayers had been answered; here was their little miracle of love. The first thing they did was head to their church for little Jack’s christening. He was a gift and they wanted to give their thanks. Everyone in the church just gushed over how cute Jack was. From his first breathe he touched the hearts of those lucky to have know him.

Jack’s first few months were the happiest time for John and Heather. Every day it seemed as if Jack was truly blessed. The doctor’s were amazed at how fast he grew. He was so alert, Heather use to joke that he was sent to earth to watch over them. And that is what it was like in the Donovan household. So many people in the town came to visit. They wanted to get to know the little boy that was stealing people’s hearts. Heather was extremely proud of her son. Everywhere they went someone wanted to hold little Jack’s hand. John couldn’t figure out why people were so excited. To him Jack was just an ordinary little boy, Heather was enjoying all the attention. Even on Sundays in church the circus kept going. One Sunday John kept Jack home, he didn’t want his son paraded around. John was religious and believed in God but didn’t think God would approve of this.

When Jack turned one, Heather threw him a huge party, she invited everyone in town. “Why do we need the whole town here? Can’t we have a quiet family party?” John asked Heather. “Of course we can but we are also having the town party. Can’t you see John; our little boy is an angel. People are coming from neighboring towns just to meet him.” Heather replied. John looked at Heather in amazement. “You really want to parade our son around like a freak? He’s just an ordinary boy, Heather, nothing more. Don’t do this to him; let him live a normal life.” “Our son is special John. We need to let him live the life God wants, and that is to help the people who come to him for it. If you don’t want to be at his party don’t show up. I will be letting everyone have a chance with Jack.”

John did just what Heather wanted. He stayed away from Jack’s party and let Heather do what she wanted. He still didn’t feel it was the right thing to do. Heather had the backing of the church so John was outnumbered. Whenever John got Jack alone he tried to let him be normal. He kept people away from Jack, turned everyone away. This drove a wedge between John and Heather. They went to the church to ask for their help. John agreed to go but knew the outcome. The church will side with Heather and tell him to go along with whatever she says. The best thing to do was be there for Jack and try to keep him safe.

It seemed like every day someone new came to the house. Heather let every one of them in to hold Jack. His father stayed close to him, protecting him from the crazy people coming into their home. Growing up, Jack didn’t know any other life. He’d gotten use to people he didn’t know hold him and talk to him. They were always asking him questions. He started answering them once he learned to talk. His gibberish talk made so many people happy. For so many years his mother let this go on. His father tried many times to get her to stop treating him like an object and to treat him like her son. But once people started paying her to see Jack, John knew she wouldn’t stop. He had one more idea to try.

When Jack was six, John got the best news. The news he’d been waiting for. Heather told him one night during dinner that she was pregnant. John acted surprised and was very happy. He was hoping the new baby would take her mind off Jack’s ‘gift’. He’d figured Heather wouldn’t want a lot of people around her, just like she did with Jack. She didn’t want to pick up an illness during her pregnancy. But this time Heather didn’t seem to care. She kept letting people in to talk to Jack. John even showed concern for the baby’s health but Heather said she wouldn’t stop. That God would protect the baby from any harm.

Jack had just turned seven when his new baby sister was born. They named her Sarah after John’s little sister who died when she was two. She was a beautiful little girl. After she was born, Heather started to refuse request to see Jack. John finally got what he wanted, Jack to have a normal life. Sarah captured her mommy’s heart and attention. Heather paid more attention to Sarah then to Jack. John was beginning to wonder if his plan had backfired. He tried to spend as much time with Jack as he could. He asked him one day if it bothered him that Sarah was getting more of his mother’s attention. Jack said no, that he use to get way more attention than Sarah. He said it was only fair that she got noticed and not him. He actually liked it this way; he didn’t like all those people talking to him. Jack then told him as long as John was there for him that was all the attention he needed. John was very proud of his little boy and knew he would be alright.

For Jack’s eighth birthday the only ones invited were friends and family. The first time his birthday wasn’t a big circus. Jack was finally able to enjoy his big day instead of having people all over him. Heather decided it was time to stop all the nonsense with Jack. She apologized to John for letting it get to her head. John told her not to worry, they both know their children are special but they didn’t need to share them with the world. Heather agreed, these were their angles and only theirs.

The next couple of years went by without any problems. Jack and Sarah had a nice normal childhood. No more parade of people coming in and out of the house. When Jack was ten, he started feeling ill. The doctor came to check on him but couldn’t find anything wrong with him. For several days Jack’s illness got worse. Still the doctor’s couldn’t figure out what was wrong. They tried everything they could think of to make him better. Nothing seemed to help, so the doctor’s told John and Heather all they could do now was pray. Jack held on for two more days before his illness took him.

His funeral was the largest anyone had ever seen. Every person that was touched by Jack had showed up to say goodbye to this precious angel. John and Heather took comfort in knowing Jack was loved by so many. He was a young boy that would forever be remembered.

 

 

Jack William Donovan  
October 15, 1892-November 2, 1902


	2. Sally

Sally Mayfield, 19, passed away yesterday morning during childbirth. Mrs. Mayfield’s child was stillborn. A private ceremony will be held this weekend for friends and family. Mr. Mayfield would like to thank everyone for their prayers. Mrs. Mayfield is survived by her husband Michael Mayfield, mother Mahala Cole and younger sister Tabitha Cole.

Sally Cole was always a bit of a trouble maker. As soon as she could crawl she was getting into trouble. Her mother had her hands full with Sally. Her father worked almost all day and her mother took care of the home. They lived on a small farm just trying to make ends meet. When Sally was old enough, her father would let her help out with the farm animals. That was her favorite thing to do on the family farm. Her father, David, was a hard worker who would do anything for his family. He hired two men to help with the farm. They were friendly to Sally, stopping to talk to her when she passed by. Sally loved to hear the men’s stories about their families. Some of the stories Sally was pretty sure they made up but she didn’t care. Her mother told her numerous times to leave the men alone and let them work. One of the troubles Sally got into was never listening to her mother. Being the only child made her bored. There weren’t any children around for Sally to play with. So her mother had to find things for her to do. This was not an easy job to do since Sally was so rambunctious. Sally was full of energy and it seemed like she could never get rid of any of it.

When Sally was seven she finally got a playmate. Her mother gave her a little sister, named Tabitha, to play with. Except she wasn’t much fun in the beginning. Sally wasn’t sure she could wait that long to play with her sister, but she knew she didn’t have a choice. With her mother busy with the baby, Sally had more time to herself. She started getting into more trouble, causing more problems. Her father figured it was time for Sally to have more responsibilities on the farm. Not only was she going to take care of the baby animals, but also getting the milk from the cows and the eggs from the chickens. Plus she had to help her mother in the house with the cooking and the cleaning. Sally didn’t have much time for playing, but every night she fell asleep quickly. Her parents found a way for her to replace a lot of her pent up energy. That helped her mother out a lot. With Sally not as energetic, it was easier to deal with Tabitha, who was much like her big sister at that age. Mrs. Cole began to wonder if Tabitha would be a hand full just like Sally was.

Sally began to show her parents she was growing up. She began to help out more at home without being asked to. She started going to school and was making friends. All that energy she had before was slowly disappearing. There was much to do during the day it kept her busy. By bedtime she was almost completely drained. Tabitha on the other hand was just like her big sister, full of energy. Mrs. Cole was just thankful only one of them was energetic. She didn’t want to think of what her day would be like with two energetic children. So she was glad when Sally went to school and made friends. It gave her something to do instead of driving her mother crazy. Which was fine with Sally, she enjoyed spending time with her new friends.

Time seemed to fly by for Sally. Soon she reached her fifteenth birthday. The last couple of years were hard on the family. Her father died in a farming accident the day after Tabitha turned three. He left the farm to her mother but she had no idea how to manage it. The men her father had hired tried to help out but things got worse before they got better. Her mother decided to sell the farm, the only home her children knew, and move into town. Sally fought her mother until they moved. She didn’t want to leave their only home but there wasn’t much Mrs. Cole could do. After they moved Sally began to act out more. She started hanging out with a group of kids her mother didn’t approve of. She stopped helping around the house and began staying out late at night. By the time Sally turned fifteen, her mother had had enough of her childish behavior. Mrs. Cole warned her one more slip up and Sally was out of the house. Sally didn’t believe her mother would really kick her out. So she continued acting out and disobeying her mother. Mrs. Cole didn’t have any choice but to kick Sally out of the house. She didn’t want Tabitha to pick up any bad habits. She couldn’t handle one, let alone two rebellious children. When Sally got home from school, her mother let her know she was out of the house. She had until tomorrow to pack up her things and get out of the house.

Sally didn’t know where she was going to live. She had nowhere to go, no one she could ask for help. She knew her friends wouldn’t help her out. So Sally packed up her clothes and left her mother’s house. She didn’t think her mother would really kick her out. She should have listened to her instead of acting out. But it was too late for that, she made her decision and now has to live with it. Sally walked around town trying to figure out what to do when she ran into Michael Mayfield. He was three years older than her. He asked Sally what she was doing with a suitcase. She told him her story and he offered her a place to stay. She knew she should have said no but she didn’t have a choice. Sally followed Michael to his house knowing it was a big mistake.

The Mayfield family let Sally stay with them on one condition. Sally had to agree to marry their son Michael. Sally didn’t want to marry him but the alternative was living on the street, so Sally said yes. Michael and Sally were married that weekend. Mrs. Cole didn’t know about the wedding until the weekend after. She began to regret her decision to kick Sally out. Now her baby girl was married into a horrible family. One that believes the world revolves around them and that they could have anything and everything they wanted. Mrs. Cole did not like the Mayfield’s and was a little surprised they let their son marry a nobody like Sally. That was the scary part, not knowing why they let the wedding happen.

A few years later Mrs. Cole got her answer. Sally was more of a servant girl instead of a wife. Whatever Michael told her to do, Sally did without questioning. When Sally turned nineteen, she found out she was pregnant. The Mayfield family was delighted to add an heir to the family. The family had already decided the baby was going to be a boy. Mr. Mayfield was ready for a male heir to the family tree. Sally was hoping this meant less work around the house but it didn’t. To Sally it seemed like they were giving her more work to do. Throughout her pregnancy they had her doing everything around the house. Her doctor never said anything about all the work and she was afraid to say something. Sally was ready for the baby to come so she could have a break. At least she hoped they would let her rest after the baby was born.

The day finally arrived. Sally went into labor and the doctor was called. Sally asked for her mother and the Mayfield’s sent for her. Mrs. Cole arrived just in time to see her first granddaughter being born. Unfortunately the little girl was stillborn. She told Sally the bad news and they cried together. Sally had lost a lot of blood during the birth. The doctor didn’t give her much longer. Mrs. Cole sat with her daughter alone until Sally passed a few hours later. Mother and daughter were buried together next to Sally’s father.

 

Sally Cole Mayfield  
March 14, 1910- July 17, 1929

 

“Angel” Mayfield  
July 17, 1929- July 17, 1929


	3. Matthew

Matthew Cunningham, 52, went to be with our Lord today. A month after losing his only daughter, Matthew’s heart couldn’t bear the loss and gave up hope. Matthew is survived by his wife Jacqueline and his mother Evelyn Cunningham.

Matthew’s childhood had been the way most people would want. To Matthew his childhood was absolutely perfect. Two loving parents loved school and spent hours with his friends. He loved to help out at his grandparent’s nursing home. He was always helping someone whether they were friends or strangers. His parents never had any trouble with their son. They were very proud of their only child. He excelled in school, wanting to become a doctor. He knew it was going to be difficult but Matthew was willing to put in the hard work.

Matthew made his way through school. He still wanted to become a doctor so he found him a medical school that was near his parents. He wanted to be near his family so he could still help out. During his college days, he met and fell in love with a young woman named Jacqueline. Her father was a doctor and taught one of Matthew’s classes. They spent all of Matthew’s free time together, getting to know one another. After Matthew’s first semester of Medical School, he asked Jacqueline’s father for permission to marry his daughter. Jacqueline’s father liked Matthew, thought he was a hard worker and a talented doctor, so he said yes.

Matthew and Jacqueline were married that fall in a tiny family ceremony. They didn’t have much in the beginning but they had all the love in the world. At the beginning of the New Year, Jacqueline discovered she was pregnant. Their new life seemed to get better every day. Her father had given Matthew a position at his office. A few months later Jacqueline found out she lost her child. She and Matthew were devastated. They kept trying but with no luck. So they concentrated on Matthew’s work. Jacqueline began helping out at the office as well. They kept themselves busy, saving money to buy a new house. Jacqueline had found the perfect place. The last owners had just moved out and were asking a reasonable price. As soon as they had enough money, Matthew went down and bought the house. He didn’t tell Jacqueline he bought it; he wanted it to be a surprise. The next day Jacqueline came into work feeling a little heartbroken. When Matthew asked her what was wrong, she told him her dream home had been sold. He said he was sorry, that they would find a different house. That didn’t make her feel any better, she really wanted that house.

After work Matthew and Jacqueline headed home. Jacqueline was still upset about the house that she wasn’t paying attention to where they were going. Matthew pulled up to the house and said they were home. When she looked up, she saw they were parked in front of her dream home. She jumped out of the car and jumped into Matthew’s arms. They walked up to the house and walked in to check on their new home. Jacqueline had never seen the inside of the house but she knew it was going to be perfect. As she walked through the house she was figuring out where everything was going to go. Matthew watched his wife as she walked around, a big smile on her face. He couldn’t have felt any happier than that moment.

The next couple of weeks Jacqueline began setting up their new home. She would work at the office in the morning and then at home in the afternoon. Matthew sat back and let his wife do the decision making. It made her happy and that was what Matthew wanted.

On Matthew’s thirty-second birthday, Jacqueline had a big surprise for him. She had let him into every room in the house except one. She told him it was his birthday present and he had to wait. Matthew didn’t have to wait long and the day came for him to look in. She made him close his eyes as she opened the door. When he finally got to look, he was speechless. Inside the room was a nursery. Matthew looked at Jacqueline and with a tear in her eye, she shook her head yes. Matthew picked her up, kissed her and they both started crying. That night at Matthew’s birthday party, they made their announcement. Everyone was thrilled for them. They were finally going to get the family they have wanted for so long. This time they could feel it; this baby was going to be just fine.

Libby Marie Cunningham arrived into this world with a lot of love surrounding her. Both Matthew and Jacqueline’s families were there, waiting for the newest family member. Very proud grandparents waited patiently to get a glimpse of their granddaughter. Everyone in the room was busy talking about how they couldn’t wait to do her first everything with her. When the nurse brought Libby out, the room became quiet. You could’ve heard a pin drop it was that quiet. Everyone gathered around to get a closer look at baby Libby. They asked how her mother was doing and the nurse said she was fine. Everything went well and mother was resting. One by one they went in to see the proud new parents. The grandmothers both volunteered to stay the night and help when they could. While Jacqueline rested, their mothers took care of the house and the cooking. Matthew took care of Libby, making sure everything was okay. For the first couple of weeks he didn’t let Libby out of his sight. When it was finally time for Matthew to go back to work, Jacqueline had to push him out the door. Life was going great for the Cunningham’s.

Time seemed to fly by for Matthew. Libby seemed to grow up over night. She was quickly turning into a little lady. Her parents had raised her right. Even at a young age, Libby was interested in helping others. Soon her parents were taking her to work with them. Libby was great with the people coming in. She entertained the little ones so their parents could talk with the doctors. Or she would sit with the elder patients and keep them company while waiting their turn. When she was eight, someone asked if she knew what she was going to be when she grew up. She told them a nurse because they are the lucky ones. They get to be there for everyone after the doctor is done. They get to take care of everyone and make them happy. Libby knew what she wanted and no one doubted her.

More time passed and before they knew it Libby was a young woman. She was ready to go off to school to become a nurse. Matthew was so proud of his little girl. It was good news to help lessen the bad news. That year Jacqueline lost both of her parents and Matthew lost his father. His mother had moved in with them, unable to live on her own. Jacqueline’s father had left his practice to Matthew, which he had been saying for years he would. Now with Libby going off to school, the house was going to seem empty and so quiet. The office was really going to miss Libby’s contagious attitude. But they knew she would be back, she wanted to work in the family office. They just had to wait until she was done with school. You couldn’t find two prouder parents. They had raised their daughter the best they could and all their hard work had paid off.

Matthew and Jacqueline were so nervous. Today was the day their baby girl was leaving. They had gotten up early to surprise her with breakfast and a going away gift. They had everything ready for her but time crept by and no Libby. Jacqueline was starting to get worried and sent Matthew upstairs to check on her. Matthew climbed the stairs and opened his daughter’s bedroom door. He expected her to be in bed but Libby was not in her room. Matthew ran downstairs and told Jacqueline that Libby was missing. Jacqueline ran to the phone and called the police. She knew something was wrong, Libby wouldn’t disappear like this. When the police arrived, there wasn’t much they could tell them. Libby was at a friend’s house and said she would be home late. They didn’t wait up for her because she’s always done what she says. They gave the police the name of her friend and the police headed over to talk to her.

Libby’s friend didn’t know where she was either. Libby had left her place around ten-thirty. She said she was heading home to get some sleep before she had to leave in the morning. The police did their best to find Libby but it was like she just vanished. Matthew did everything in his power to find his daughter. Nobody got any sleep, hoping Libby would walk through the front door.

A few weeks later, the police showed up on their doorstep. They had found the bodies of three young women and needed help identifying the bodies. Matthew made Jacqueline stay home while he headed down to the police station. When he arrived the officer warned him the bodies weren’t in the best condition. Matthew said he understood and tried to prepare himself for the worst. The officer led him down to the basement. There were already other parents there hoping their daughter wasn’t one of the three found. They led the parents one by one. At first all the parents that were in the front finished, relieved it wasn’t their daughter. Then one couple came out crying, then another and then the last girl’s family walked out. Matthew let out a huge sigh of relief. His daughter wasn’t in the morgue but she was still missing. He headed home to tell Jacqueline the news. She was relieved that her daughter was not there but scared because she didn’t know where she was.

Three weeks had passed since the police showed up. Jacqueline was spending more time alone only coming out of her room to tend to Matthew’s mother. Matthew spent most of his time at work. He tried to keep himself busy, to keep his mind from wondering what happened to Libby. When he did begin to think about it, he pictured the worst. So working long hours helped him keep his mind busy. He had to take a day off once to tend to his mother. Again he tried to keep his mind from wondering. He kept going over it again and again, the last time he saw Libby. He had gone over it so many times; his body was beginning to feel it. Matthew started to feel ill so he decided to lie down. Jacqueline left him alone for a couple of hours hoping the sleep would help him. She waited until dinner was ready before she went upstairs to wake him. When she opened the bedroom door, she knew something was wrong. Matthew was lying on top of the covers with the lights on. He was fully clothed and even had his shoes on. Jacqueline knew he would have changed before climbing into bed. She ran over to her husband and tried to wake him. When he didn’t wake up she checked for his pulse knowing she wouldn’t find one. Not getting a pulse she laid down beside him and began to cry. Ten minutes later she walked downstairs and told Matthew’s mother the sad news. Jacqueline called their doctor and the two grieving women held on to each other. Their doctor, who had been a family friend since before Libby was born, took over when he arrived. He told the women not to worry about a thing that he would take care of everything. Jacqueline thanked him and went back to comfort Evelyn.

Three days later, Jacqueline buried her husband and Evelyn buried her son. Much of the town had shown up to say goodbye to their dear friend. The official cause of death was a heart attack but everyone in town knew he died of a broken heart. He was so worried about his daughter his heart couldn’t handle the stress of not knowing what happened to her. Matthew Cunningham died without the answers he wanted.

 

Matthew Cunningham  
August 16, 1901- September 3, 1953


	4. Kalli

Growing up in New York City, you feel like nothing is going to bother you. With so many people and lots of crime, Kalli, was used to losing friends not that it was ever easy to say goodbye. In her short twenty-three years, she’s had to say goodbye to too many friends and family. But none of that can prepare you for one of the worst goodbye, your parents.

Kalli had learned at a young age that she had to be tough. Being an only child she got to do pretty much whatever she wanted. Not that she was spoiled or anything. Kalli didn’t really care about material things; she was more interested in how she could push the limits. She loved playing every sport including extreme sports. She was her daddy’s little tom boy. Kalli wasn’t just athletic, she was smart too. She liked to challenge herself and see how she does. Most of her high school classes were college level. She was stubborn but her parents were very proud of her. Kalli was taken a year off from college to help her mom out with her grandma. She had slipped and broken her hip. Kalli loved to help anyone who needed it. She was studying to be a social worker so she could help children. She was almost done with school so taken time off wasn’t going to hurt anything.

After a month of helping with her grandma, Kalli was ready to head back to school. Not that she didn’t like helping out, she just felt she could do both. So she found a couple of the courses she needed with online classes. She figured taking online classes; she could still help out around the house. From the moment Kalli woke up until she went to bed, her day was nonstop. She would do her school work in between helping her grandma. When she wasn’t doing that, she was helping her mom with the housework. They had decided to redo the entire house and then sell it. With Kalli getting ready to live on her own, her parents felt the house was too big for them. They were even thinking of leaving New York. Now Kalli loved New York but was all for her parents moving. It was time for a change, some place with a slower pace. Grandma could use the break too. They all needed to get away. The days seemed to slow down for Kalli. School seemed to drag on and she found out she hated online classes. The house was looking good, they were almost done. Her grandma, however, wasn’t doing so well. She was starting to feel better but one day she fell really ill. Kalli was worried that her grandma wasn’t going to make it much longer. Kalli spent as much time with her as she could, made sure she was comfortable. As the days crept by Kalli could see the life draining from her grandma’s face. Every day she walked into the room was scary. “What if I’m the one who finds her?” Kalli asked her mom. “Then you yell for me and I’ll take care of everything. We all know it’s coming so we have to prepare ourselves as best we can,” her mom told her. Two days later Kalli went into her grandma’s room to see if she needed anything and her worst fears came true. She yelled for her mom to come up and then Kalli sat down and held her grandma’s hand. ‘At least she was where she wanted to be,’ Kalli thought. Her grandma didn’t want to die in some stuffy, cold hospital. She wanted to be in her warm, cozy bed with family around. Kalli’s mom called her dad and told him the news. He said he’d be home soon to say goodbye. Then Kalli’s grandma’s doctor was called and he said he’d be there in twenty minutes with the funeral director. Grandma made sure everything was taken care of and what she wanted done was done. That was the longest twenty minutes of Kalli’s life. Waiting for everyone to get there seemed to take forever. All she could do was sit there and hold her grandma’s hand. Even when everyone arrived, Kalli held on to her grandma’s hand, not wanting to let go. Her mom gently grabbed her shoulders and told her it was time to go. They headed downstairs, sat down on the couch, and held on to each other. Twenty minutes later they brought down her grandma and took her to the funeral home. After everyone left, the house fell silent. You could fell the emptiness of the house. Kalli and her parents sat on the couch hugging each other and crying. Out of all the friends and family she had lost, this was the hardest one for Kalli.

The funeral service was held two days later. They had to bring chairs into the church for people to sit but it wasn’t enough. Some people had to stand but no one minded. They were there to say goodbye to an amazing woman. The service lasted a few hours. It took awhile for everyone to say goodbye and give their condolences to the family. Kalli lost count at forty-three and there seemed to be a hundred more. She was amazed at how many people came to her grandma’s funeral. By the time the last person left Kalli was ready to fall over. She was ready to go home, crawl into bed and sleep for days. When they arrived home there were people waiting for them. Kalli let out a loud sigh and rolled her eyes. “I know sweetie but we have to be nice. If you want you can go up to your room.” “No mom, it’s okay. I’ll stay down for a while. Don’t want to appear rude.” “Well just stay as long as you can, then go on up to your room. Me and your dad will take care of everything.”

Kalli lasted two hours before she had to head up to her room. Everyone was really nice and had great stories to tell about grandma. When she started hearing the same stories she knew it was time to go. As she lay in her bed, she could hear everyone downstairs. She heard the last person finally leave. Looking at her clock she let out a loud sigh. “Last person to leave and it’s only one o’clock in the morning. Better go help clean up.” Kalli headed downstairs to help her parents clean up. Her dad was the first one to see her. “Sorry to keep you up jellybean I didn’t think they’d stay that long.” “That’s okay daddy. I couldn’t sleep anyways. So where do you want me to start?” she said. “If you’re sure you don’t mind helping, the family room could use some tlc,” he replied. Kalli headed to the family room but stopped when she heard her mom crying. “Hey mom,” Kalli said. “Hey baby girl. Just trying to clean this kitchen up” “Mom, why don’t you go and sit with daddy. I’ll clean up.” “Sweetheart I can’t do that. I can do this.” Kalli raised her eyebrows and gave her mom that ‘yeah right’ look. “Mom, you just lost your mom. Now go rest and have yourself a nice cry. It helped me.” Her mom smiled, wrapped her in a hug, and said “Thank you Kalli. I love you so much.” “Love you too mom. Now go.” Kalli spent the rest of the morning cleaning the house when she was finally done; she headed up to her room to get some sleep.

Two months had passed since she lost her grandmother, yet Kalli felt her presence every day. She didn’t say anything to her parents but she’s seen her grandma twice. She figured it was all the stress in her life. First losing grandma, then working on the house, and trying to get school done. So she just decided to ignore it and not tell her parents. The house was almost done, just a few more items to replace in the downstairs bathroom. Her parents headed out one Saturday to pick up the last items. Kalli stayed home to clean up so they could fit everything in.

Kalli finished cleaning the bathroom and went to sit down on the couch. She looked at the clock and realized her parents had been gone a long time. They already knew what they were going to buy so it shouldn’t have taken them so long. Kalli was just about to call her mom when someone knocked on the door. She opened the door to see two police officers standing there. “Excuse me ma’am. Are you Kalli Thomason?” one of them asked her. She looked at one and then the other before nodding her head yes. “We’re going to have to ask you to come with us.” “Why what’s going on?” The look in their eyes gave it away. “Oh my god. Are my parents okay? What happened?” “Miss Thomason, I’m sorry but there was an accident. You’re parents didn’t make it.” Those words hit Kalli hard. She tried to walk forward but her body wouldn’t let her. Kalli passed out.


	5. Jack

Jack opened his eyes, blinked a couple of time and looked around. He couldn’t see anything, it was completely dark. He tried to sit up but hit his head on something. He tried to move around but there wasn’t any room to move. Jack was starting to get scared, he screamed for his mommy as loud as he could but no sound came out. What was going on, where am I, Jack thought. Did he do something bad? Were his mommy and daddy punishing him? Jack started crying hoping someone would hear him but no one came. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

When Jack woke up he was back in his bed. It must have been a bad dream he thought. He got up out of bed and headed downstairs. On the way down he could hear a lot of people talking. He peeked around the corner and saw his parents talking to a bunch of people. They must be having a party. I’d better stay in my room. Jack headed back to his room. He got some of his toys out and played with them for awhile. Soon he felt tired and decided to go back to sleep. He left his toys out, figuring he’d put them up in the morning. He crawled back into bed and went to sleep.

“Who could have gotten these toys out?” Heather asked John. “I don’t know, Heather. Everyone was downstairs and Sarah was sound asleep. This just doesn’t make any sense.” Heather picked up the toys and put them away. “I’ll pack up his things after Sunday church,” she said. John nodded his head and led his wife downstairs. Jack laid there watching his parents pick up his toys. “Why didn’t they see me? Why is mommy packing up my things? Are they sending me away?” Jack had so many questions. He got up out of bed and went to find the answers. He found his parents and his little sister sitting at the table eating. He walked over to his mom and asked “Why are you packing up my stuff? What did I do wrong?” He waited for an answer but nothing. She didn’t even look at him. “Daddy, will you please talk to me.” Nobody moved or even looked his way. Jack screamed as loud as he could but got no reaction. He headed back to his room mad and confused. Why was his family ignoring him? Did he really do something that bad? Bad enough to make his whole family mad at him? The last thing Jack remembered was being sick but he felt better now. They couldn’t be mad about that, could they? Not knowing what to do, Jack crawled back into bed and went to sleep.

For the next couple of days Jack spent most of his time in his room. No one came in to bother him. He spent his time playing with his toys and trying to figure out what was going on. Every once and awhile Sarah would start to come in but his parents would stop her. He didn’t like this punishment. What made it worse was not knowing why he was being punished. His days seemed to go on forever but night went by too quick. To Jack it seemed like as soon as he went to sleep it was time to get up. As the days flew by, Jack didn’t want Sunday to come. The day his parents were making him leave. Since they were taking his stuff away, he took some of his favorite toys and hid them. Just in case they decided to get rid of his things instead of sending them with him.

“I can do this. Please Lord give me the strength to do this.” Heather was standing in front of Jack’s door. She knew what she had to do but didn’t know if she could. It’s been hard on the family since Jack died. It’s been really hard on Sarah, wondering where her big brother was. A few times John’s caught her trying to go into Jack’s bedroom. When he’d ask her what she was doing, she’d look up at him, smile and say “I’m going to play with Jack.” Trying to explain to her that Jack was gone wasn’t easy. She’d tell them Jack’s in his room playing alone. Heather was hoping once Jack’s stuff was gone, Sarah would understand he was gone. “Okay Heather, get your butt in gear and let’s get this over with,” she told herself. Heather opened the door and stepped inside. When she walked in, she felt a cold chill come over her. “Burr, it’s cold in here. Why is this the only cold room?” Shrugging the cold off, she began to pack up Jack’s clothes. Crying along the way she was able to get all his clothes packed away. She sat down beside the boxes crying. Was she really going to be able to pack up all Jack’s things? If all his belongings are gone, will they forget about him?

Jack sat in the corner watching his mom. Why is she sad, Jack wondered? He wanted to go hug her but wasn’t sure if he should. What if she was still mad at him? He sat there watching her pack up his clothes. After she was done she sat there crying. This time Jack walked over to her and told her it was going to be okay. That he was fine and still loved her. He put his hand on her shoulder to let her know it was going to be okay. His mom shuddered and pulled away. Jack removed his hand and went back to his corner. Not sure what to think he sat quietly and watched his mommy move his things.

“I’m losing it, “Heather thought. It felt like someone had put their hand on her shoulder but there wasn’t anyone else in the room. Letting out a huge sigh she got up and continued packing. She wanted to be done before John and Sarah got home. No use in all of them having to deal with the pain of this. Of course John would have to move the furniture. There was no way she could move it herself. Once she finally got herself moving, it didn’t take long for her to finish. She had just moved the last box out when John and Sarah came home. “Hi you two. Did you have fun?” Heather said. John kissed Heather and said, “We sure did. We got to feed some ducks down at the pond. Then we walked around learning the names of everything.” Heather laughed as she put the last box down. “So are you all done with your part?” John asked. “Just brought down the last box. That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Now it’s your turn.” John shook his head. “I know. I have some friends coming over tomorrow to help me. Then we can try to move on.”

The next day John and his friends headed up to Jack’s room. Jack jumped out of bed when he heard the door open. When he saw his father, he became very excited. Surely his dad will be happy to see him. He jumped up and ran to the door. As soon as he saw his dad, he wrapped his arms around him. John shuddered and back away. “Man its cold in here. Let’s try to hurry so we don’t freeze to death.” Jack stepped away with tears in his eyes. Neither his mother nor his father loved him anymore. They won’t even let him see his little sister. Once again Jack sat in the corner and watched his belongings go out the door. Not understanding why his family was getting rid of him. He felt like crying but he had no more tears left to cry.


	6. Sally

How can this be? I know my baby died, how can I be holding her? So many thoughts ran through Sally’s mind. She got up out of bed and walked to the family room. Everyone was sitting around talking and laughing. How could her husband be laughing when they just lost their baby? Sally sat down in an empty chair and tried to remember. The last thing she remembered was lying in bed next to her mom crying over the loss of her baby. After that everything went dark. Sally tried to remember exactly what happened. Maybe my mom can tell me, she thought. She got up from the chair and headed towards the door. Just as she was about to grab the door knob, she heard Michael say her name. “You know it’s a shame about Sally. She made a great maid. Too bad about the baby though, just wish it had been a boy. Oh well, it’s time to find another wife. May my loving wife and our child rest in peace.” “Honestly Michael, you can do better. That girl wasn’t worth it. I’m just glad her mother paid for the funeral. We wasted enough money on her,” Michael’s mother said.

Is it true? Am I really dead? Again Sally’s mind raced. She tried to grab the door knob but her hand went right through it. Sally began to cry but then remembered her mom. She gathered herself and headed to her mom’s house. Before she knew it she was home. “I don’t remember the walk here. So there must be some truth to all this.” Sally walked around looking for her mom and sister. She found them sitting outside by their little garden. She walked over and put her hand on her mom’s shoulder. Mrs. Cole shuddered and looked around. No one was there with them. “Maybe Sally’s trying to say hello to you momma,” Tabitha said. “Perhaps, I just hope she’s at peace. That her and little Angel are together.” Sally could feel the tears streaming down her face. Why is she still here? Why hasn’t their spirits gone to heaven like they are suppose to? Did she do something wrong in life? But she knew the answer to that, of course she did. Now her poor baby is stuck here as well thanks to her mom. Sally looked down and saw the memorial stone with their names on it.

Sally wasn’t sure how much time had passed by. She learned her days and nights didn’t really exist anymore. When she tried to go to sleep it seemed like it was time for her to get up. It was tiring at first but she got use to it. Taking care of Angel wasn’t as hard as she thought it would be. Then again she didn’t have to feed or change her diaper. All she had to do was keep her quiet. Every now and then when Angel would cry Sally could see her mom looking around. Mrs. Cole could hear the baby once and awhile. At first she thought she was losing her mind until one day. “Momma, I know this sounds weird but I keep hearing a baby cry,” Tabitha told her. Mrs. Cole hugged her and said, “I know dear, I have too. At first I thought I was going crazy. It seems baby Angel has followed us home.” Tabitha shook her head, “Not just Angel but Sally too. I can hear her sing that lullaby she use to sing to me. The baby stops crying then.” They both started to cry tears of happiness with the thought that their loved ones were still with them.

Sally took comfort in knowing her family welcomed them. They even included them in their daily routine. A chair was set at the dining table for them. They even got a plate, it was empty but it was the thought that counted. The Cole family did everything together as long as it was in the house or in the garden. Sally hadn’t even been upstairs yet. She didn’t want to see if they changed her room. She’d rather remember it the way it was. So she stayed downstairs and tried to stay positive. It was still hard getting use to being a ghost. Trying to figure out what she could and couldn’t do. What she could touch and what she went through. Sally wanted to give her mom and sister a sign that they were there. It would be nice to be able to do more. She figured out she could only go between the two houses. She never wanted to go back there unless she really wants to scare them. But she was better than that plus she’d have to look at them. Sally could live her eternity without ever seeing them again. Sally was content on going on with her life here. As long as her family’s here for a long time, everything would be just fine.

For what seemed like only months, years passed by. Soon her family moved out and went on with their lives. Once everything was out of the house, Sally felt just as empty on the inside. She wondered around not sure what to do next. Looking through every room, she wondered what the next owners were going to be like. Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, she wondered if she should go up. Sally took a deep breath and slowly headed up the stairs. She headed to her sister’s room first. Looking around brought back so many memories. A smile came across Sally’s face as she remembered the first time Tabitha wanted to try on make-up. Sally only put on a little but Tabitha was so happy. All during dinner she went on about how grown up she was. Sally and their mom just smiled and nodded their heads. There were so many happy memories in this room. Sally wished she’d been there to see more. She moved on and stopped when she got to her room. “Think I’ll save this room for last,” she said. She headed to her mom’s room. She walked in and sat on the floor. “Oh momma, I’m so sorry. I should have listened to you. I miss you guys so much.” Sitting there crying, Sally thought of all the times she’d disobeyed her mother. Not being there to help out after dad died. She should have helped more with the house and with Tabitha. There wasn’t anything she could do about it now. All she could do is move on and hope for the best. Not sure how she was going to do that considering she was dead but it was worth a shot.

After an hour Sally finally headed to her old bedroom. She stood in front of the door, hand on the knob; she took a deep breath and opened the door. She walked in and looked around. She started thinking back to before she left until something in the corner caught her eye. No, not something but someone. She headed towards the corner slowly and saw a little boy sitting there. Sally wondered how long he had been there. “Hi there, my name is Sally. What’s yours?” The little boy tired to pull himself into a ball but didn’t have anywhere else to go. “Don’t be afraid, I’m not going to hurt you. Looks like it’s just you and me now. Why don’t you come downstairs with me, I can introduce you to my baby.” “Do you know where my parents went? They left me here alone.” The little boy looked lost and confused. What if he doesn’t realize he’s dead, Sally thought. Sally wasn’t sure what to do next. Should she tell him or just try to comfort the poor thing. “I don’t know sweetie. But you’re more than welcome to stay with me. Maybe we can look for them or at least find out where they are.” Sally held out her hand and the little boy took it. “So what’s your name or should I just call you sweetie-pie.” The little boy looked up at her and smiled. “My name is Jack not sweetie-pie.” “Alright Jack,” Sally said laughing, “What do you say, shall we go downstairs?” Jack nodded his head yes and the two of them headed downstairs.

“I don’t remember much. One day my family is here and the next they are gone. For so long I was alone until another family moved in.” “That must have been my family. That was my room you were hiding in.” “That was my room as well. But they took everything away. Why would my parents do that?” “I don’t know Jack. But there is something we need to talk about. Do you remember being sick or hurt?” Jack tried to remember back when his family was still here. “I think I was sick. Yes I was, I remember having a bad dream. It was all dark and I was all alone. When I woke up I was back in bed and feeling better.” Sally looked down at the floor, not wanting Jack to see her tears. “Is that when you’re parents started being mad at you?” Jack nodded his head. “Sweetie, I don’t know how to tell you this but the reason you’re parents didn’t talk to you is because they couldn’t see you.” Sally could see the confusing on his face. She was wondering if she should just come out and say it. “Ok Jack I’m just going to say it. Sweetie your parents couldn’t see you because you are dead. I’m so sorry sweetheart.” Jack looked at Sally like she was crazy. There was no way he was dead. Is there? Jack got up from the table and walked around. He was trying to figure it all out. Trying to make sense of it all. Could she be telling him the truth? It would make more sense than his parents being mad at him. But what did this mean? Would he be stuck like this forever? Jack had so many questions and Sally was ready to answer them.


	7. Matthew

“I’m so sorry my dear. I tried to hang on but I just couldn’t.” Matthew stood behind his wife wishing he could hold her just one more time. There were many friends there to say good-bye to Matthew. He was touched by the kind words everyone had said about him. Matthew wasn’t sure if death was going to be like this always so he took in as much as he could. When the funeral was over, he stood beside Jacqueline and told her everything was going to be okay. Matthew closed his eyes and took a step back. When he opened his eyes he was back in his house. “Guess this is where I’m going to spend my remaining afterlife. Not too bad, could be worse. Maybe I’ll be able to stick around long enough to find out what happened to Libby.” Matthew settled in for a long and interesting journey.

“I can’t believe how cold it is in here,” Jacqueline said. She was packing up her belongings. It was only a week after Matthew passed but the house was too big for just the two of them now. Evelyn needed more care and the house needed a lot more. So Jacqueline was moving the two of them to a smaller place. “I hate to leave my dream home. I’m so sorry you didn’t get the answers you wanted Matthew. I’ll keep you both in my heart. I just hope Libby comes home one day. The thought of both of you gone forever breaks my heart.”

Matthew stood by watching his family pack up their memories. He wasn’t mad at them for leaving. Jacqueline had her hands full with his mother plus the house. Then there was Libby, and hoping she was okay. He didn’t see her here but then again he had no idea how this ghost thing worked. He spent most of his time in the living room so he wasn’t sure if he was alone. He hoped not, it was going to be lonely if he was the only one. Maybe he should look around and check. After his family was gone he would. He wanted to make sure they were okay. Then again maybe he’ll get to go with them, he just didn’t know. He never believed in ghost or spirits. Always laughed at those who did. Ironic he would be the one to end up a ghost. “Well I’m a believer now,” Matthew laughed. “Wonder if I can do all those thing people talked about. I’ll try it after my family leaves. Don’t want to scare them to death. I can wait for them to join me.” Matthew sat down in his favorite chair and waited.

The last of the boxes went out the door. Jacqueline walked through the house making sure nothing got left behind. Once she was satisfied she headed to the living room. “Sorry we have to go Matthew. I hope you get to follow us but if not just remember I will love you forever.” With tears running down her face, she blow Matthew a kiss and walked out the front door. Now Matthew was all alone.

“Can we go down and see the man now?” Jack asked. Sally sighed, Jack has been asking that ever since the man arrived. Sally didn’t want to scare him. “I guess we can go down and say hi but be….” Before Sally could say anything Jack was down the stairs. Jack peeked around the corner and saw the man walking around the living room. Sally reached the bottom stair in time to hear Jack. “Hi there. My name is Jack. What’s your name?” Matthew turned around and saw the little boy. “Well hello Jack. My name is Matthew. Are you here by yourself?” “No he’s with me. I’m Sally. Sorry for Jack he’s excited to see someone else like us.” Sally shook Matthew’s hand and prepared to answer his questions. Jack on the other hand was running around. He sure does have a lot of energy for a spirit, Sally thought.

After filling Matthew in on their lives they began to wonder who was next. “So we’re just going to wonder around here waiting for what exactly.” Matthew asked. Sally shrugged her shoulders. She had no idea what they were supposed to do. This old place had seen so much she was surprised there were only three of them. “You know with all the deaths that have occurred in this house why are we the only three here. Shouldn’t there be more?” Sally wasn’t expecting an answer. No one knew the answer.


	8. Kalli

“Not long ago I stood right here saying good-bye to Grandma. Now I’m saying good-bye to my parents.” Kalli said to herself. Kalli sat staring at the pair of coffins that held her parents. Tuning everyone out she tried to figure out how this could be happening to her. They were just heading to the hardware store. “I was suppose to go with them. I should be there beside them. What am I suppose to do without them.” The service ended and Kalli stood up. She walked to her mother first and laid the rose on her casket. She slowly headed over to her father and did the same thing. Then she walked past all the guest and headed towards her car. Not stopping to talk to anyone, Kalli went home.

For the next two days Kalli spent her time in bed not wanting to deal with anyone. She knew she had so much to do but not wanting to do any of it. Her parents lawyer called telling her she needed to come in. He needed her to go over her parents will. She only wanted one thing and that was her parents back. Kalli knew she was going to get everything but she didn’t know what she was going to do with it. As much as she wanted to stay in bed forever, she knew she had to get up and get going. She called the lawyer and told him she’d be there tomorrow to go over the will. Kalli pulled herself out of bed and began deciding what she was going to do.

“Kalli, I know you already know the contents of the will but we have to go over it for legal purposes.” The lawyer told her. Kalli nodded her head and motioned for him to continue. “Alright, your parents left everything to you. I know you guys were looking to sell your house. Do you still want to go through with it?” Kalli thought for a minute. Did she want to live in her family home all by herself? Or go through with the plan and move south. “I’m going to go through with the sell. We planned on moving south and that is what I’m going to do.” “Okay, if you need any help with that let me know. Now the final thing I need from you is to sign these papers and we are all done here.” Kalli signed all the papers and headed on her way home. On the way home, she tried to figure out exactly where she was going to go. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to move to Florida, too much partying and trouble there. Maybe Alabama or Louisiana, where the pace of life is in slow-mo not fast forward. When she gets home she’ll check online, see if she could find a nice quiet little town. Someplace she could relax and then decide what to do after that.

“I never knew there were this many small towns. Now I just need to decide on which place. I guess I need to check out houses in all the areas I’ve picked. Then narrow it down. Yeah sure Kalli that’s going to be easy.” Kalli smiled to herself, knowing this wasn’t going to be easy. Picking one place, Kalli started looking for a new home. Even though there were plenty of homes to choose from, Kalli couldn’t find one that really stood out. An hour later she still hadn’t found “the one”. “I’ll check one more place then I quit for the day. I figured I wouldn’t find one right away but I was kinda hoping I would.” She chose a small town in Louisiana called Washington. It was a small town with a little over a thousand people. Looking through the houses she was beginning to fall in love with the place. All the houses were older; you could just hear the stories they had to tell. Scanning through she stopped at one house and almost fell out of her chair. There it was the house she’d been looking for. She pulled up the information and read it out loud.

“House for sale. Built in the mid-eighteen hundreds, the Holden House has been in the Holden family for the past fifty-seven years. The Holden’s have decided to move closer to family and downsize. Some items will be included with the house. For more information please call Randal Brooks.” Not wasting another moment, Kalli picked up the phone and dialed the number. After a couple of rings a male voice answered the phone. “Randal Brooks, how may I help you?” “Hi my name is Kalli Thomason. I’m calling about the Holden House. Is it still available?” “Yes ma’am it is. Most of the information is on the website. Would you like to make an appointment to see it?” “I would but I live in New York. I’m looking to move to a small town.” “Well then Miss Thomason, Washington is a great place to live. We can still set up an appointment if you’d like. I’ll put the house on hold for you. If you don’t mind me asking, what made you want to leave New York?” “I just lost both of my parents. We were in the process of moving so I decided to stick with our plans.” “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

Kalli made the appointment and prepared to head down to Louisiana. She decided to fly down instead of drive. Her parents left her enough money to splurge a little. She was so excited to see the house. She wasn’t sure why but she felt connected to it and that was just by looking at the pictures. It was a little big for one person but it would give Kalli the chance to fix it up. She was going to restore it back to its glory days. She just needed to find some older pictures. She was afraid to look before it was hers. Before she left she asked her neighbors to keep an eye on the place. They said yes, of course, even though they hated to see her leave. With that done, Kalli headed to the airport.


	9. New Beginnings

“That strange man is back again,” Jack yelled. Sally rolled her eyes and smiled. Looking out the window she watched as the realtor walked up. “He hasn’t been here in awhile,” Matthew said. “That must mean someone is coming to look at the house.” Jack screamed and ran up the stairs. The last people who lived here weren’t that pleasant. They’ve seen a lot of death and some of them are still here. Not many of them interact with the four of them. Matthew wasn’t sure they even knew they were dead. A lot of good soldiers were here, before Matthew joined. Sally hasn’t seen too many of them. They mainly stick to themselves. She has seen something here but she wasn’t sure what it was. Hopefully the next owner will be better. It would be nice to have one that could talk to them. Let them know what was going on in the world.

Going around in circles, Kalli couldn’t figure out how she could be lost. The town wasn’t that big, she should be at the house by now. Kalli really didn’t want to stop and ask for directions but if she didn’t she was going to be late. She pulled into a gas station and headed inside. Kalli looked around, heading towards the back and grabbed a diet coke. Walking to the counter she suddenly felt stupid for needing directions. “Will that be all for you sweetie?” the lady behind the counter asked. “Yes ma’am. I also need directions.” “Well, the soda will cost you a dollar and seven-four cents. The directions are free.” Kalli smiled as she pulled out two dollars. “I’m having trouble finding the Holden House.” “Well, well someone’s finally interested in the old Holden House. You’d think it would be easy to find but it’s a lot harder than ya think.” Letting out a big sigh of relief, Kalli was glad she wasn’t the only one to have problems. The woman pulled out a map of the town and drew some lines. “This is the best route to take. Just mind the speed limit, the cops here will get you for going one mile over.” Smiling she handed Kalli the map. “Thank you so much for the help. How much do I owe you for the map?” “I already told ya sweetie, directions are free including the map. Now you have a nice day.” Kalli thanked the woman again and headed to her car. Looking up she noticed the sky getting darker. Better hurry before it starts raining, she thought. Following the map she was at the Holden House in no time.

The realtor was just finishing up when Kalli pulled up. Randal was hoping this would be the final time he had to come up here. He didn’t know why he agreed to take on this house. Every time he entered he got the worst chills. Something was here he could feel it, but he had no idea what it was. Crossing his fingers hoping this would be the last time, Randal headed out to meet Kalli. “Good morning Miss Thomason. Hope your trip was pleasant.” “Yes it was Mr. Brooks. I had a little trouble finding the place though. And please call me Kalli.” “Alright Kalli as long as you call me Randal. I’m sorry about the directions; I should have been more specific. I forgot people who didn’t grow up here have a hard time finding it.” “That’s okay Randal. I’m ready to check out the house.” Kalli headed towards the house. She looked up to the second floor. Kalli stopped, rubbed her eyes and looked again. “Is everything okay, Kalli?” “Yeah, sorry I just thought I saw a little boy in one of the windows. I’m so excited I’m seeing things.” Kalli smiled and shook her head.

“Sally, Sally come here quick,” Jack yelled. Sally ran up the stairs worried something was wrong. “Jack, honey what’s wrong? Are you okay?” Jack looked at her with a big smile on his face. “That lady saw me. I was looking out the window and she looked up. She actually saw me.” He was jumping all around, excited about what just happened. Sally smiled and headed back downstairs. Looking for Matthew, she found him standing in the kitchen holding Angel. He was missing Libby so much but having Jack and Angel around helped. “So what was wrong with Jack this time,” Matthew asked smiling. “This new owner may be….um how should I put this….interesting, yes that’s a good word.” Laying Angel down, Matthew walked over to Sally. “What do you mean ‘interesting’?” “Jack was upstairs trying to get a look. He said she looked up and saw him in the window.” Matthew got that oh no look. Sally’s seen that look a lot especially when it comes to Jack. “Maybe we should stay out of the way for right now. At least until we know if she’s going to be trouble.” Sally agreed with him but knew it was going to be difficult trying to keep Jack out of trouble.


	10. Nosies

The last box was finally placed in the living room. Kalli looked around at the next step ahead of her. She didn’t mean to bring so much with her but she couldn’t get rid of anything yet. Better to wait until I can think clearly without letting a river loose, she thought to herself. She was going to use one of the bedrooms as storage until she could go through them. The first room was going to be storage, the middle room was her bedroom, and the big one was going to be turned into a study. Not sure why a study but she had the furniture for it so why not. The movers had place the furniture in the right rooms and left the boxes downstairs. Kalli wasn’t sure where she wanted them to go. She just boxed everything up and decided she’d figure it out when she got here. The first thing she wanted to do was look for the attic and basement. Randal told her there was both and gave her a map of the house. The first stop was the attic.

Heading for the door Randal told her about, Kalli found the attic. She turned the knob but the door wouldn’t open. After several tries, she headed to the boxes and located ones labeled kitchen. Searching through the boxes she finally found what she was looking for. Taking the knife with her, she used it to pry open the door. After several minutes Kalli was finally able to get it open. As soon as she opened the door, she could have sworn she heard someone or something growl. “It’s just an old house Kal, don’t start freaking out. Take a deep breath and move on.” Listening to herself, she took a deep breath and headed up the stairs. When she got to the top she looked for the light switch and tried to turn on the lights. They came on for a second and then complete darkness. Cursing under her breath, she heading downstairs to look for a flashlight and some fresh light bulbs. Frustrated she found what she was looking for. Once again she headed towards the attic. She changed the light bulb and crossed her fingers hoping it would work. “And let there be light, please.” Kalli flipped the switch and the attic came to life. Looking over the attic, Kalli stood speechless. There were so many boxes left from the previous owners. Wondering if anything was sellable, she decided to give Randal a call. Taking her cell phone out of her pocket, she dialed the number. “Hi Randal, this is Kalli.” “Hi, is everything okay?” “Yeah everything’s fine. I just had a question for you.” “Sure fire away.” “Okay I finally got into the attic and found what looks like hundreds of boxes.” “And you want to know if they all belong to you?” Kalli smiled and said, “Well yes I do. I was going to see if anything was worth selling.” “Everything in the house belongs to you. Whatever you find is yours to do with as you see fit. So enjoy opening your presents.” “Thanks Randal, I will.” Laughing, Kalli hung up the phone and moved to the most important part. Which box to open first? Kalli walked around reading the names on the boxes. She had no idea who these people were but she felt drawn to a couple of boxes with the name Jack on them. She ran her fingers along the top of one box and instantly felt sadness. She used her knife and opened the top. Inside she found some old clothes. She pulled out a shirt and held it up. It was so little; Kalli could tell it came from a child. “I wonder who Jack is or was by the looks of the clothes.” Kalli went through the box looking over the clothes. She could tell they were from an early period but wasn’t sure when. Finishing that box, she moved on to the next. This one was full of clothes as well. The third box contained some old toys. Pulling the toys out, Kalli was fascinated with them. They seemed to be very old maybe around the nineteen hundreds. Kalli was wondering how much all this would be. All the toys and clothes were in excellent condition. They looked like they were brand new. Kalli carefully put everything back into the box and moved on to the next. Going through the boxes she found a lot of clothes ranging from infant to an older person. A few more had toys in them and some had household items. Picking up some items she tried to think where she could place them. They were all in the house at one time, so why not use them. Without making it halfway through the attic, Kalli decided to go try to find the basement. Heading for the kitchen, she pulled out a bottle of water, and then looked at the map of the house. It looked like the easiest way to get to it right now was outside.

Walking around the house, Kalli found the basement door. Looking at the lock she decided she needed to buy a new one. Once the house is cleaned out she could get to the basement door from the inside. Unlocking the lock she headed downstairs. Using her flashlight she searched for the light switch. Cursing under her breath, she hoped the light bulb wouldn’t go out like the attic. After five minutes, Kalli finally found the switch. Flipping the switch, with her fingers crossed, the basement was flooded with light. Looking around Kalli was hit by the worst chills ever. She looked around half expected to see someone standing there. But there wasn’t anyone there. Shaking the chills away she began looking around. There were a few boxes down here but not much else. “Can’t blame them for not wanting to come down here. I keep getting the feeling something evil is down here.” Kalli shook her head noticing she was talking to herself. That shows she was losing her mind. Using her flashlight she wondered around the basement. There was so much darkness even with the light on. Checking every corner of the basement, Kalli made up her mind to not use the basement for anything. Panning over to one corner; Kalli screamed and dropped her flashlight. She slowly moved back as the dark figure moved closer to her. Stumbling over a box, Kalli watched as the figure got closer to her face. Afraid to move Kalli waited for the worst. “Get away from her now!” Kalli turned to look for the person that just spoke but didn’t see anyone. She turned back and the dark figure was gone. Finding her flashlight; Kalli ran outside. Closing the basement door, she tried to make sense of everything. Did she really see that thing and what about the voice where did that come from?

Kalli walked to the front porch and sat down on the top step. She was starting to wonder about the house and the people who used to live here. Were there any deaths in the house? Were any of them violent? Kalli believed in spirits but had never felt scared. She’s felt things before but nothing like this. Now she was beginning to wonder just who was still here. Kalli tried to ignore what just happened and decided to start unpacking. Starting with the kitchen, she soon discovered she had a lot of room left over, and she was afraid she’d run out of room. Keeping herself busy for the next couple of hours, Kalli got the kitchen and the dining room completely finished. Standing back, she admired her hard work. “Not bad at all, if I do say so myself. Now it is time for some food.” Kalli grabbed her things and heading out the door.

Sally stood in the dining room and looked around. Even though it wasn’t her furniture, she was beginning to feel like she was home. “A lot different from the last owners isn’t it.” Sally jumped at the voice and turned around to find Matthew standing there. “Matthew, you startled me. Yes it is. It really does feel like home. I hope she keeps going in this direction.” “Same here. It looks like something Jacqueline would pick out. This new owner seems nice too. Hopefully she’ll be able to help us.” Sally nodded her head and continued checking everything out. As she was looking around, she realized it was very quiet. Looking around she knew why it was quiet. “Do you know where Jack is? I haven’t heard from him in awhile now.” “No I haven’t. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen or heard from him since that girl got here.” Starting to worry Sally started yelling for Jack. The two of them searched the entire house looking for him. Matthew finally found him sitting by the basement door. “Jack, what’s wrong? Is everything okay?” Jack looked up at him with tears in his eyes. Matthew kneeled down and grabbed him into a hug. “What’s the matter son? Why are you so sad?” Still not saying anything, Matthew picked Jack up and went to look for Sally. Something had scared the poor boy and Matthew wanted to know what.

“This is some of the best food I’ve ever had.” Kalli was sitting in a local diner, eating some home cooked southern food. “Why thank ya darling. I’m glad you’re enjoying it. Let me know if you need anything else.” The waitress left and Kalli finished her food. Before coming to the diner, she had stopped at the library hoping to find anything on the Holden House. She wasn’t expecting to find much and was surprised to see all the newspaper articles on her house. She got copies of as many as she could. She’d have to go back when she had more money. Pushing her plate away, she grabbed the stack of papers and began reading. Most of them were about the Holden family. Not much happened with them, just the usual, them helping the community type stuff. From what Kalli could tell they were great people who loved their home and community. So why did they move out? Why sell your family home if you loved it that much. Reading through the articles, Kalli ended up having more questions than answers. Tomorrow she’d spend the day at the library, see what she could find out about the old house. Who owned the house before the Holden’s? The most important question was what that dark shadow was and whose voice was that. The only thing Kalli knew for sure was that she was never going down into the basement again. She’s just got to hope whatever it was stayed in the basement.

Sally sat at the table, holding Jack and trying to calm him down. “Jack, honey you need to calm down and tell us what happened.” They’d been trying for that last twenty minutes to get him to calm down. At least enough to tell them what happened. After some soothing, he was finally able to talk. “I was following the lady around, watching what she was doing. First she went into the attic and found a lot of my belongings. Then she went into the basement. It was so dark down there. I was afraid but I followed her anyways. Then this dark black shadow started going after her. I yelled at it to leave her alone and she heard me. After she ran away the shadow started coming after me. I was so scared.” Jack curled up in Sally’s lap and started crying again. Sally and Matthew looked at each other not wanting to say anything in front of Jack. None of them have been down in the basement. They had both felt something bad down there but never ventured to check. Matthew walked to the basement door and put his hand on it. “Hope whoever you are, you decide to stay down there.”


	11. House Guest

A month had passed and Kalli was settling in. She’d decided to use some of the furniture she found in the house. It fit better than the stuff she brought with her. She was almost done with the attic clean-up. She was amazed with all the really cool stuff she found. She tried to group everything in piles, but there was so much. Between the clothes, furniture and toys, Kalli was going to be going through boxes for months. She was thinking about having a yard sale but she wanted to ask around to see if it was a good idea. She wanted to know if the neighbors would be okay with it. Not that she’s meet them yet. She’s been too busy fixing up the inside of the house. Next was the outside, she wanted to bring color back to the drab outside. Kalli had so many plans for the house. She knew it was going to take some time but she was ready for the long task ahead.

Standing outside enjoying the breeze, Kalli went over everything she still needed to do. She was deep in thought when she heard someone call out. “Hello up there.” She looked up and saw an older woman walking up the sidewalk. “Hi there, hope I’m not disturbing you, “she said smiling. Kalli stood up and headed down the stairs. “No ma’am. Just taking a break from all the work. I’m Kalli Thomason. Nice to meet you.” “Well hello Kalli, I’m Janice King. I live next door. Just wanted to come over and say welcome. Nice to see someone buy this old place.” “I’m surprised no one picked this one up. It’s a beautiful house or at least it will be once I finish with it.” “So you’re going to restore it?” “Trying but can’t find any pictures. You wouldn’t happen to have any or know anyone who might, Mrs. King.” “Please call me Janice. You know I may know someone who might. They may even have some of the inside too. I’ll make some phone calls and see what I can find out for you. Well I’ll let you get back to work; I’ve got some errands to run. Nice meeting you Kalli.” “It was nice to meet you too Janice. And thanks in advance for the help.” Janice waved goodbye as she hurried down the sidewalk. “Nice to meet a neighbor, at least she’s not weird.”Kalli though. Finishing her lunch, Kalli headed back inside to continue cleaning.

Heading upstairs, Kalli decided to finish up her bedroom. Most of the boxes left were decorations. It was time to make this place feel like home. As she was putting some pictures up, she suddenly remembered the spot in the wall. She ran her fingers along the wall searching for the spot. When she finally found it, she used the hammer to open it up. Half expecting to find nothing, Kalli was surprised to find a bunch of toys stuffed in there. She pulled them out and lined them up. Wonder why someone would hide toys in here? She finished pulling out the last of the toys when she heard a noise behind her. She turned around to see a little boy about ten playing with the toys. Kalli tried not to scream, didn’t want to scare him. Even though she was freaking out since she could see right through him, she knew he wasn’t really there. Not sure what to do she decided to talk to him.

Kalli sat down on the ground, turned towards the little boy and began talking to him. “Hi there, my name is Kalli, what’s yours?” The little boy looked up at her. For a minute Kalli was afraid he was going to leave. She was beginning to talk to him again when he gave her a huge smile. He pointed to his toys and smiled at her. “Are these your toys?” she asked him. He shook his head yes. “You’re welcome. I’m glad I could help you get them out. Can you tell me your name?” The boy opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He sadly shook his head no. he had no way of telling her his name. He wanted to talk to her, to tell her everything but he couldn’t. “That’s okay. We’ll think of a way to communicate. For now we’ll stick with yes or no questions. Are you here alone?” He shook his head no. “Okay, now I’m going to count and when I get to the right number put your hand up to stop me. How many are there?” He put his hand up before she could count. He shrugged his shoulders, trying to tell her he didn’t know. “That many huh. Okay, well can you tell me how old you are?” The little boy held up one finger and made a zero with the other hand. Oh my gosh, Kalli thought, this poor thing was only ten years old when he died. Kalli tried to hold back her tears; she didn’t want him to see her cry. She started to ask him another question when a loud band came from the first room. The boy looked scared and quickly faded away. Kalli got up off the floor and quickly headed towards the noise. She walked into the first room and let out a scream. There in the middle of the room was a big puddle of blood. Where in the world did all this blood come from? Remembering the loud bang she heard she thought it was a gunshot but changed her mind since it was inside. Now she wasn’t so sure. She did just have a conversation with a ten year old ghost, so why couldn’t the noise come from inside. “Just my luck, I find the perfect house and it’s haunted. Better not say anything to anyone until I know for sure what is going on. Maybe I’ll check the library for any information about the house. Not just on the Holden family but every owner before them.” Kalli thought to herself. First Kalli wanted to come up with a way to talk to her new family.

Kalli spent the next hour trying to clean up the blood. Still wondering how it got there, she was glad she wasn’t sleeping in this room. Just the thought of waking up one night and stepping in it, gave her the chills. Her arms were beginning to get sore. It seemed like no matter how hard she scrubbed, the blood didn’t want to go away. “Stubborn stain,” Kalli said to herself. She really wanted to know where this came from and if that donor was still around. If they are, hopefully they’re the nice kind. Don’t need any evil spirits around, just the kind ones; that’ll make life interesting. Finally getting the floor cleaned up, Kalli went downstairs to fix her something to eat. Sitting down to eat her food, Kalli started thinking about the little boy. Wondering how she was going to communicate with him. She racked her brain trying to come up with something. She didn’t notice the man standing next to her.

Finishing her food, Kalli cleaned up the kitchen and walked to the living room to relax. As soon as her foot hit the living room, she felt an instant chill. It was as if the temperature suddenly dropped. Looking around she noticed she could see her breath. How in the world could it have gotten this cold? All day long strange things have been happening. First it was the ghost boy, then the blood and now this. Kalli’s seen enough horror movies to know when you feel a cold spot there’s something around. Walking around the room, the cold spot seemed to follow her. No matter where she went it was there. Not sure if it was the little boy, Kalli decided to talk to it. “I know someone is here with me. Can you please let me know?” Kalli waited a few minutes hoping to get a response. When nothing happened she tried again. “Please I know you’re here with me. I’m not going to hurt you; I want to talk to you. I can’t see or hear you so I need your help. If you could move something, let me know where you are.” Kalli stood in the middle of the room, waiting for something to happen. After a few minutes she was ready to give up when she heard a loud piercing scream, Kalli covered her ears. Trying to shield her ears, she didn’t notice the couch move. The screams started to fade away but before Kalli could do anything the furniture started moving. Dodging the furniture, Kalli ran for the stairs. Running towards the stairs, Kalli started to reach for the banister when she saw the man standing there.

Stopping suddenly, Kalli fell to the ground. The man stood there and looked at her. Not making a move the man stared at her. Kalli could feel him staring right through her. She tried to pull herself backwards away from the man. She could tell he was a soldier but didn’t know from what branch or time period. The soldier turned around and headed up the stairs. He entered the first bedroom and then Kalli heard the gunshot again. She got up off the floor and slowly made her way up the stairs. The bedroom door was shut. Kalli put her hand on the doorknob and instantly pulled it back. The knob was freezing cold. Using her shirt, she turned the knob and walked into the room. The soldier was standing in the middle of the room. His right arm was missing, and there was a puddle of blood under him. “Oh my, are you okay?” Kalli asked him. He stared at her as if he didn’t understand her. “Are you okay? Your arm is missing. Do you need any help?” The soldier looked down at his missing arm and got a frightened look on his face. He opened his mouth and let out a loud scream. Kalli covered her ears and closed her eyes. When she looked up again he was gone but the bloodstain was still there. Kalli stood there wondering what to do next.


	12. Setbacks

“Did you see that, she talked to me. She could actually see me,” Jack was telling Sally and Matthew what had happened. “I couldn’t talk to her because she couldn’t hear me but she said she’d find a way for me to talk to her. She is so nice and very pretty.” Sally and Matthew could tell Jack was excited about meeting the new owner. They had stayed away not sure how she would act but trying to keep Jack away wasn’t easy. At least they now know she is friendly and wasn’t going to run away from them. Maybe they could ask her questions about their families. If she was willing to help, they’d be able to find out what has happened since they passed. “I’d really love to know what happened to my Libby. If they ever found her,” Matthew said. “I’d love to know about my mom and sister,” Sally said. “Maybe she’d be able to find Jack’s family too; I know he’d love to know about them.” “We need to figure out a way to talk to her. A way for us to ask her our questions,” Matthew said. The three of them sat at the kitchen table thinking of ways they could talk to Kalli.

Matthew wondered around upstairs while Sally looked around downstairs. They were looking for anything that would help them. Both of them worked on picking up items to see if they could move something. Sally had tried once before with the previous owners but that didn’t work out well. The owners saw what she was doing and talked about finding someone to get rid of any ghosts. That was the first and last time any of them moved something. Not knowing what would happen to them if they had found someone. It was frightening enough being a ghost. It was even more frightening not knowing what happens to you when you left the earth. So from that day on the three of them never touched a thing. At least not until today. This new owner seemed to welcome them. This one was curious and didn’t seem to be afraid of them. Well at least she wasn’t afraid of Jack. She hasn’t seen the rest of them yet and what of the others, the ones unseen by the three of them. Will they do something to frighten her away? Sally was beginning to worry about that when she saw Kalli walk into the living room. Slowly walking behind her, Sally followed her into the room. She was hoping this was her chance to talk to her but Sally had no idea how. She started to pick up a book when Kalli began speaking.

“I know someone is here with me. Can you please let me know?” Sally tried again to pick up the book but no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t do it. “Please, I know you’re here with me. I’m not going to hurt you. I want to talk to you. I can’t see or hear you so I need your help. If you could move something, let me know where you are.” Once again Sally tried her hardest to move something. When that didn’t work, she tried to yell, but nothing came out. She started walking towards Kalli when the screaming started. She covered her ears against the noise. She looked around and took a step back when she saw them standing there. Four in total, all men and two of them looked like soldiers. They started picking up furniture and throwing it back on the floor. She watched as Kalli ran out of the room.

Matthew had just finished looking around when he heard the scream. He ran to the stairs but stopped at the top. At the bottom of the stairs stood a soldier. Matthew stared down at him and wondered what he was doing. Then he heard the loud bangs coming from the living room. He began to make his way downstairs but the soldier turn around and shook his head. Matthew backed up not sure what to do. Just then Kalli came running towards the stairs. She stopped when she saw the soldier. The soldier made his way up the stairs and into the first room. Then came the gunshot that made Matthew jump. Kalli followed him up, so focused on the soldier that she didn’t see Matthew standing there.

Sally ran to the stairs and followed Kalli up. “Matthew, what is going on?” “I have no idea Sally but we need to find out.” The two of them followed Kalli into the room. They both saw the soldier standing in the middle of the room and the pool of blood. They looked at each other not sure what to do. The soldier let out a loud scream, then disappeared. The three of them just stood there staring at the floor. Matthew and Sally left the room and headed down to the living room. “What are we going to do now? There’s no way she’s going to want to talk to us after all that. We’d be lucky if she doesn’t find someone to get rid of us.” Sally was beginning to worry. She wouldn’t blame Kalli for wanted to get rid of them. She’d do the same thing if it happened to her. “Now calm down Sally, we don’t know what she’s going to do next. Let’s just give it some time, maybe this will make her want to talk to us even more. Or it could scare her off, we just don’t know yet.” Sally still wasn’t convinced. “To get your mind off it why don’t you go see if you can find Jack? I’m sure what just happened scared him.” Without saying a word, Sally left the living room to search for Jack.

Sally looked everywhere for Jack but couldn’t find him. She had searched the whole house except for the attic. Heading up to the attic, Sally called for Jack. “Jack, are you up here? Will you answer me?” Sally looked around and finally found him sitting by some boxes with his name on it. “There you are, why didn’t you answer me when I called for you?” “I’m sorry Miss Sally. I was just looking through these boxes, this used to be my stuff. I just hope Miss Kalli doesn’t get rid of them.” “I’m sure she won’t sweetie. Did you come up here to hide from the noise?” Jack gave her a confused look. “What noise? I didn’t hear anything. What happened?” Sally didn’t want to frighten him since he had no idea what was going on. “Nothing dear. Me and Matthew were just trying to communicate with Miss Kalli. We made some noise but nothing worked.” “Oh well maybe later I can try to talk to her again. See if she can see me.” Sally shook her head, “Maybe we should wait awhile. I think we scared her a little, so let’s give her some time to calm down and relax. Okay?” Jack shook his head yes and went back to looking through the boxes. Sally hadn’t spent much time up here so she decided to take a look around. All the boxes were neatly stacked and arranged by name. There were so many boxes and so many different names. Sally didn’t realize there had been that many people living here. After she died the years seemed to fly by. There were some when everything passed by slowly and then some when it was all a blur. Sally wasn’t even sure how long it had been since she took her last breath. She was trying to hang on to hope that Kalli would still help them but she wasn’t sure. Walking around the boxes, Sally wondered what was in them. Was it something they didn’t like or a treasure they wanted to preserve? Why did they leave it here? If it was Sally’s things she’d make sure she took everything with her. She wouldn’t leave her stuff behind. Walking around, Sally looked around for any boxes with her name on it. She hoped her mom took all her stuff with her. Sally stopped when she came across some boxes with Matthew’s name on it. She wished she could open it up to see what was inside. She thought about trying but decided to leave that for Matthew. A couple minutes later, she found her name.

Sally stared at the pile of boxes with her name on them. Concentrating really hard, Sally tried to open the boxes. She didn’t think it would work since she couldn’t even pick up a simple book. Jack made it look so easy. Trying really hard, she focused on the box lid. Grabbing the lid, closing her eyes, she lifted the lid of one of the boxes. Opening her eyes, she was surprised to see she had opened the box. Inside Sally found the contents of the box were from her shelf. Focusing on her stuff, she picked up an item remembering them. Thinking about her life, Sally began to cry. “I wonder what happened to momma and Tabitha,” she wondered. She knew how to find out. She was going to talk to Kalli one way or another.


	13. What to Do

“I hope I don’t have to clean this up every day,” Kalli said out loud. She was hoping the man was listening. She didn’t want to go through this every day. One more time and I quit, she thought. It took over an hour to clean it up and she still had to clean up downstairs. Kalli knew the little boy didn’t do any of this. He was just too sweet and innocent to do all this mess. She’d hoped she wouldn’t have any problems but looks like she was. Tomorrow she would go to the library and do some research on the house and the property. See who lived here and who might have died here. So far she knew of two, the little boy and the soldier. So there must have been a war on or near the land. There was so much going through her head. One thing for sure was no one was going to run her out of this house. She loved this house no matter who else was living here or how much they tried to scare her. She was not leaving.

Finally getting the blood cleaned up, Kalli headed downstairs to clean up the living room. Feeling tired she glanced at the clock, it was almost ten o’clock. Stopping on the stairs, she wondered if she should wait until morning to finish cleaning. She was so tired she could really use the sleep. Making up her mind, Kalli turned around and headed to her room. Waiting until morning wouldn’t hurt anything, besides it’s not like she has company coming over. No one around to see the huge mess downstairs. Climbing into bed, Kalli closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Sally headed downstairs to let Matthew know what she found. She had been able to go through her boxes to see what was left behind. She couldn’t believe the things her mom had left behind. Things she was sure her mom would take with her. Sally found Matthew standing in the living room looking around. “Hey Matthew, what’s wrong?” “Nothing, I was just trying to figure out how to clean this up and who did it.” “I think I can help with that. I found some boxes with our names on them.” “Really? Even some with my name?” Sally shook her head yes. “Anyway I was finally able to pick up some of my things. You just have to focus really, really hard and you can move anything.” “Okay, well it’s worth a shot. Let’s see if we can clean this up for this young lady. Maybe we can show her that we aren’t all bad.”

It took them all night but they were able to get the living room cleaned. While they were cleaning Jack came down from the attic with something in his hand. “What do you have there, Jack?” Matthew asked. “I found these in some boxes upstairs,” he said holding up a bag of something. “Were they in a box with your name on it or someone else’s,” Sally asked. “They were in someone else’s. Is that wrong?” he asked with a confused look on his face. “It depends on what you found.” Jack handed the bag to Sally, who dropped it. She bent down to pick it up, and then placed it on the table. She opened the bag to find scrabble pieces. “Well Jack it looks like you’re not in any trouble. We can use these to talk to Kalli.” “I know that’s why I brought them down.” The three of them bent down around the table trying to decide what to spell out. Matthew came up with the perfect beginning. “Since she’s already talked to Jack, let him tell her his name. I know she wants to know that.” They all agreed and got to work.

That morning, Kalli woke up tired. All night long those images and sounds went through her head. Once she woke up and thought she heard the furniture moving downstairs. She was afraid to go down and look. What if it happened again? Knowing she couldn’t stay in bed all day, Kalli managed to pull herself up out of bed and stumbled towards the stairs. Taking a deep breath she headed for the living room, dreading the clean up. Standing in the doorway, Kalli couldn’t believe her eyes. Everything was back into its proper place. On the coffee table there was what looked like old scrabble pieces. She walked over to the table and stared in awe at what she saw. There on the table were little pieces with letters on them. She read the words out loud, “Hi, I’m Jack. Hope you are not scared. I want to talk to you.” It took her a minute to figure out who it could be, and then she remembered the little boy. So his name is Jack, that’ll help when I go to the library to do my research, Kalli thought. She went into the kitchen to get breakfast before heading out for the day. Pulling the milk out of the fridge, she almost dropped it when she heard the baby cry. Not realizing what she was doing, Kalli started to sing the lullaby her mom used to sing to her. The crying stopped but Kalli continued to sing while she fixed her breakfast.

Waiting for the library to open, Kalli wrote down everything she had seen and heard since she moved in. She had written down every name she found in the attic. Anything that could help her get the information she needed. No way was she going to run away from her house. It was the perfect house for her. No one was going to run her out of her home. The library finally opened and Kalli headed inside. She headed to the counter to ask where she should go. “Hi, I was wondering if you could help me,” Kalli asked. The lady behind the counter came over to Kalli. “Hi there, I sure can. What are you looking for?” “I want to look at some newspapers from the past. Anything about the history of the town.” “Doing some research huh, well you go into the back room and Viviane can help you get started.” “Thank you.” Kalli headed to the back room and looked at all the machines. She found Viviane and she showed Kalli how to work the machines. Kalli went looking for the oldest newspaper she could find. Looking through, she tried to find something on the Holden House. It wasn’t until she got to the end that she realized she wasn’t going to find anything. It didn’t become the Holden House until fifty years ago. Starting at the beginning she tried looking by the address but found nothing. Kalli headed to the desk to ask Viviane if she could help. “Excuse me, I’m trying to do some research on the Holden House and I was wondering if you could help.” “Sure thing what can I help you with.” “If you could tell me the name of the street it sits on. Every name that street has had?” “Okay, give me a minute and I’ll see if I can find you some old maps of the area.” “Thank you.” Kalli waited while Viviane went to find the maps. There was so much going through her head. Wondering what she was going to find, hoping she’d be able to find some information on Jack. When he lived, what his life was like and how he died. Maybe she could find out about the baby. That one bothered her more than Jack did. The poor thing didn’t get the chance to experience life.

After what seemed like forever, Viviane came back with the maps. “Okay, here is where Holden House sits now. There have been three other names, so these should help you in your research.” “Thank you so much for your help.” Kalli headed back to her chair and started her research. Using the street names Viviane had given her, Kalli was able to find a ton of information on her house. Not all of it was good but there were a few good ones. She found articles on the day the house was built. Kalli made a note to check for the deeds to get a list of owners. She read through more newspapers. She almost skipped over one she had been looking for.

Jack Donovan, age ten passed away from an unknown illness. As Kalli read the article, she couldn’t help but cry. Jack had led a not so normal life and then that life was cut short. The more Kalli read the worse she felt. Going back a little she found articles about the meetings his mother set up to meet Jack. This poor child was being used by his mother to get popular and maybe even rich. How could you do that to your own child? It seemed like either Jack’s father was out of the picture or didn’t want to put his son through this. Kalli hoped at least someone had enough common sense to protect that little boy. Kalli printed the articles so she could go through them completely.

Kalli found more about the history of the house and about some of the owners. She learned about the war that was fought nearby. It looks like the house was used as a hospital for the wounded. That would explain the soldier and the blood on the floor. It seemed like every other article was about someone dying in the house. No wonder there was so much energy. She could only find one baby that died but she didn’t die in the house. Her mother lived there at one point and her grandmother lived there, so maybe they were connected. The poor thing didn’t have a chance, she was stillborn and her mother died a few hours later. Kalli would have to ask if they are still in the house. There were so many articles that Kalli decided to stop reading them and just print them out. If they had anything to do with her house then she printed it. She was going to be reading for awhile tonight. By the time she finished she’d been there for three hours and printed what seemed like hundreds of articles. Thankfully she brought plenty of money.

Putting the stacks of paper on the table, Kalli made herself something to eat. She didn’t eat lunch due to being engrossed in her research, but now she was starving. Deciding to actually fix her a real meal, she started preparing her food. While the food was cooking, she sat down and started going through the papers. She started with Jack so she could talk to him. She had a few articles on him, the first being about the special little boy that people came from all over to see. His mother would allow complete strangers into their home to hold him. They believed he had healing powers and could help with their problems. The church was even pushing her to let people see him. How could a mother do that to her child? She treated him like an object instead of a child. All the articles were like that except for the last one. The last one was about the day Jack died. Poor thing was only ten years old when he passed away. He left behind both parents and a little sister. Kalli wandered what ever happened to his family. She made a list of things she needed to look up. The first one being Jack’s family.

While eating, Kalli went through the papers and tried to organize them. Putting them in piles by name and date would help her as she went through them. Kalli couldn’t believe how many people died in this house. No wonder she was seeing and hearing things. After Jack’s family moved out, a family named Cole moved in. There were only a couple of articles on them. It seems their daughter Sally married into a wealthy family when she was young. No laws about marrying a minor back then. Then the article about Sally and her daughter’s death. Sally was only nineteen years old when she passed away. Too many young people died in this house. Kalli wondered about her family too. They left the house not long after her death. The majority of the articles were about soldiers using the house. There was speculation about devil worshippers living in the house. That could explain the bad feeling in the basement. The only place Kalli doesn’t ever want to go again.

The last articles before the house became the Holden House, was about a man named Matthew Cunningham. He was a very prominent man in his day. There were articles ranging from his youth to his death. He was in his fifties when he died, so at least he got to live a good life. It seems he loved to help people out, he was recognized for all the good deeds he did. After school he decided to become a doctor and continue helping people. He married his teacher’s daughter, Jacqueline. After her father’s death, they took over his practice. They had one daughter, who disappeared from their home. Matthew may have had a full life but the poor guy died without knowing what happened to his daughter. Another thing to put on her list. “By the time I’m done here I’m going to have another huge list,” Kalli said out loud. Cleaning up after dinner, Kalli heard a noise coming from the living room. Hoping it wasn’t that soldier again, she walked into the room. She looked around but didn’t see anything out of place. Turning around to leave, she remembered the tiles on the table. Bending down she read the words out loud. “Will you help us?” “Of course I’ll help but I need to know who you all are. I know about Jack so you need to tell me who else is here.” Kalli waited for an answer. Then the tiles started to move again. They spelled out three words, Jack, Sally and Matthew.


	14. Roommates

Kalli was up all night reading through the articles. She had three piles for her new roommates. Not much had happened that day. After the tiles moved to spell out the names, everything went quiet. As she was reading through she made notes of names and locations. Any information that she could find on the three of them. She was going to do some more research on the families.

Pretty soon Kalli was seeing double. She had to put everything down and get some sleep. Even though she finally got some sleep, she kept running the articles through her head. Kalli woke up feeling worse than she did when she went to sleep. Heading downstairs, Kalli was waiting for something new downstairs, but there was nothing. Nothing written out on the table except for what was already on there. Breakfast was uneventful, nothing much going on. After breakfast, Kalli decided to go through the attic instead of reading more papers. She remembered seeing some boxes with their names on them. She still had to go through the boxes for the yard sale. As she was heading for the attic, Kalli remembered her next door neighbor Janice. She’d have to go over and see if she found any old photos of the house.

The first name she came to was little Jack’s. Kalli had already been through most of his stuff. He had a bunch of clothes and toys left behind. He didn’t live long enough to have a lot of possessions. Kalli moved on to Sally’s belongings. She had more boxes to go through. There were a few with clothes but most of them were filled with her personal items, things that must have meant something to her. These were things Kalli would have held on to if it was her family. It seemed like Sally’s whole life was boxed up and left behind. Her family must have had a really good reason for leaving them behind. Looking around the room at all the different names, Kalli wondered what that reason was. Pulling the items out of the box, Kalli came up with an idea. She had plenty of room in her house so why not display some of these items. “I’m sure my roommates would like to see their belongings being taken care of.” Putting everything back into the box, she headed for town.

Driving around town, Kalli looked for an antique store. She wanted something that would fit with the rest of the house. She found a parking spot and decided to walk around. She loved the fact that she could walk around without running into a lot of people. Not like back home where the streets were always crowded. Walking along doing some window shopping, she noticed some people gathered around one store. She headed towards the shop thinking they were having a sale, when she noticed two guys with cameras. She stopped and watched, realizing she knew who they were. She watched them every once and awhile. They were the guys from the show Ghost Adventures. She stopped to watch once because she thought the main guy Zak was cute. Then she found the show funny. It probably wasn’t supposed to be but it was to her. Kalli turned to walk away but it was too late. Nick was walking towards her followed by Zak and Aaron. “Do you mind if we ask you a few questions?” Nick asked Kalli. Kalli walked over to him, “Sure but I’m not going to be able to tell you much. I haven’t lived here that long.” “That’s okay. By the way I’m Zak and this is Nick and Aaron.” “I’m Kalli, so what can I help you with.” The three of them looked at each other and then at her. Kalli got a weird feeling she wasn’t going to like this. Zak looked at her and said, “We were just told you may have a haunted location we might be able to check out.” “Really? And where might that be?” “We’ve been told you own the old Holden House. People say the previous owners moved out because of all the activity.” Kalli was stunned, no one told her that. “I wouldn’t know about that. No one told me why the last owners sold the house and I’ve asked. In fact no one really talks to me about the house. You probably know more than I do.” Kalli could tell that made Zak uncomfortable. It was true though, the only one that has helped her out was Viviane at the library. “So tell me about my house? What kind of things have you heard?” she asked them. Nick was the first one to answer her. “Not much actually. Just that there has been a lot of death there and plenty of spirits. Some of them not so nice. We’re just hoping we could look around.” Kalli thought about it for a minute. It would be nice to finally get some answers to what was in her house. Maybe even what is in the basement? “I don’t know about this being on television, but I would love for you to come by. I’ve got a lot of questions but no one will answer them for me.” “No problem, we’ll film everything but won’t give it to the network,” Zak told her. They all agreed on the terms and Kalli led them to her house.

As they pulled into the driveway, they were in awe. “I’m letting you know right now, I’m not going anywhere by myself,” Aaron said. “I hate to agree with him but this place creeps me out,” Nick said. Out of all the places they’ve been this one seems scary. Before they got out of the truck, Zak said, “Let’s not show we’re a little freaked out. Try to be professional and help her out.” The three of them got out of the truck and walked up to Kalli. She was waiting by the front door. “Well boys, welcome to my home.” She opened the door and let them in. They walked in and were surprised by what they saw. “You know, from the outside this place looks freaky but the inside is absolutely beautiful.” “Thanks Nick, I’ve had time to fix the inside but haven’t gotten to the outside yet. One thing at a time but it will get done.” Kalli let them look around before she showed them the hotspots. She was wondering if they could pick up on the same feelings she did. She had felt them the first time she walked into the house. She followed them around and listened to what they had to say. After they were done, Kalli took them on the tour. “Okay I’ll start with the worst place in the house, the basement. I don’t go down there but I’ll show you the door.” “How come you don’t go down there?” Aaron asked her. “The only time I’ve been down there, I was chased by this shadow. It scared the hell out of me so I don’t go down there anymore.” They all looked at her and then at the basement door. “So are you three going to go down there?” Kalli asked with a smile on her face. She knew they would but it was fun teasing them. “Of course we are, we never back down from a challenge,” Zak said. “Good then on with the tour. Stuff has happened all over the house so you should be able to catch something. The living room is where I saw a soldier standing in the middle of the room. The furniture started moving and then the soldier screamed. I ran to the stairs to get away but he followed me. He screamed again and ran up to the first bedroom.” “Do you know what kind of soldier he was?” Nick asked. “No I’m not sure but I believe it might have been a confederate or union soldier. The uniform looked very old. I followed him up to the bedroom and he stood right here.” Kalli moved to the spot where she had seen him standing. “He was missing his right arm and there was a puddle of blood on the floor. I asked if he needed help with his wounds. He took one look at his arm, screamed and then vanished.” Zak walked over to the spot and bent down to check the floor. “Did the blood disappear as well?” “No I had to clean that up twice. It appeared once before and it takes forever to clean it up. The last place is my room. That is where I saw the little boy Jack. He’s the sweetest thing so please don’t scare him.” “We’re not here to scare them just to help.” “That would be great, Zak. I want to help them as much as I can, I just don’t know how.”

The four of them set up the cameras. They were going to let Kalli help since she knew who some of them were. Kalli really wanted to talk to Jack. She wanted to see what she could do for him if anything. She wasn’t concerned with seeing anyone; she just really wanted to hear from them. She knows it sounds weird but she wanted to make sure they were okay. Kalli felt connected to them somehow. She could feel them all around her and a lot of times she felt sadness. She wanted that sadness to go away. After setting up the cameras they met back in the kitchen which would serve as base command. “Okay everyone grab their camera and a digital recorder. I think we should start in the basement.” Kalli looked at him with a confused look. “Now Zak, why in the world would you start in the basement?” “You already know who’s up here and that they won’t hurt you. But you have no idea what’s downstairs. I want to make sure it’s nothing that can hurt you. We’ll all go down; I don’t want anyone down there by themselves.” Aaron breathed a sigh of relief; he was the one that usually got stuck by himself. The four of them walked to the basement door and stopped. They all stood there looking at the door not wanting to be the first one in. Kalli got tired of waiting and opened the door. She headed down the stairs and waited for the others to join her. Zak began the investigation. “My name is Zak and these are my friends Nick, Aaron and Kalli. Is there someone down here that would like to talk to us?” They waited for a response but nothing happened. “If you’re here can you give us a sign? Knock on something or move something.” Nick tried. Still getting no response, they walked around the basement until they came to the spot where Kalli was attacked. “This is where the shadow chased me. It started in that corner and chased me to here. Then I heard a male voice telling it to leave me alone. I turned around expecting to see someone standing there but no one was there. When I turned back the shadow was gone.” She pointed to the corner where the shadow started, and to where the voice came from. They tried for several minutes being polite just in case it was friendly. After awhile Zak got tired of being nice. “I’ve tried to be nice but if you’re not going to come out I guess I’ll have to try another way. Whoever is in here I demand you show yourself now.” As soon as Zak said that they heard a loud banging coming from the corner. Everyone jumped and spun around. They couldn’t tell if anything was moving, but they were sure that was where the noise came from. Nick zoomed with his camera into the corner and noticed the temperature change. “Guys it’s starting to get really cold in here.” Zak pulled out his temperature gauge and checked. “Dude this says its sixty-two degrees down here. Wait it just dropped two degrees. What is going on? It’s getting colder.” As they walked around they heard more banging noises and every now and then what sounded like growling. After an hour of nothing but noises, Kalli had enough. “I’m getting sick and tired of your games. Either show yourself or stop all this nonsense. Are you too scared to show yourself? Is that it, is it because there are more of us now. If you don’t show up in the next five minutes, we are out of here.” The guys looked over at Kalli smiling. “What?” she asked. “Nothing, that just sounds like something I would say, that’s all,” Zak said. Blushing Kalli turned around and waited. Five minutes came and went but nothing happened. Disappointed they headed back up the stairs.


	15. We Are Here

“Well that was a lot of fun. Maybe we should call it a night. I don’t think I can handle anymore.” Kalli said smiling. They were all disappointed that nothing happened in the basement. Thankfully Kalli knew they would get something in the main part of the house. Upstairs should be good also, hopefully that soldier will appear. Kalli was more interested in finding out about Jack, Sally and Matthew. If only they could capture anything to do with them, anything at all. “Okay since the basement was so much fun, let’s see what we can get up here.” Zak said shaking his head. Usually by now they would have caught some kind of evidence. “Zak, how about we sit in the living room? I seem to get a lot of attention in that room.” “Sure we can try that for awhile.”

The four of them headed into the living room hoping something would happen. Nick and Aaron sat in the chairs and Zak and Kalli took the couch. Before they were ready to start, a voice came from out of nowhere. “Keep your hands off her.” Everyone looked around, trying to see if there was anyone there. Nick laughed and said, “Zak you better behave yourself.” “I wonder if that was Matthew. He had a daughter close to my age.” “Well that’s going to make things interesting. Guess you’re staying at my place tonight.” Right after Zak said that, he felt someone slap him on the back of the head. “Ow, sorry I was just joking, Matthew.” Everyone got a good laugh out of that. After everyone was done laughing they got serious and went back to work, Kalli began. “I know there are at least four of you here. Jack, Sally, Matthew and the soldier. I would like to talk to all of you but only one at a time. I’d like to start with Jack, if that is okay. I know you all want my help, so Jack if you can let me know what you would like me to do for you.” They gave Jack a few moments of silence to give him a chance to speak. After several minutes, Kalli started again. “Now if Sally would please do the same thing. Let me know what I can do to help you.” Again they were silent. Nick and Aaron continued to film hoping to catch something. “Okay now it’s Matthew’s turn. I know one thing you would like and that is to find out what happened to your daughter. Is there anything else you would like?” As they waited Kalli looked over at Zak and saw him rubbing the back of his head. She smiled and waited for a few more minutes. “Now it’s time for my friend the soldier. Is there anything I can do for you? Maybe locate your family or find out what happened to you? It would also be helpful if you could tell me your name, what war you fought in, and any other information that could help.” Kalli was hoping the soldier would show himself, or scream or anything at all. The room was completely silent, that when a loud boom of thunder went off overhead, all four of them jumped. “Okay, that’s it I’m done,” Nick laughed. “I guess that’s our cue to get back to work. Now it’s time to do it our way just nicer,” Zak said as they all got up to begin.

“I really hope they were able to hear us,” Sally said as they watched them leave the room. “Well I know that Zak guy heard me and felt me. The nerve of that guy.” Sally laughed and followed the group upstairs. “Matthew, you do know that Kalli is old enough to make her own decisions. If she likes Zak then let things happen.” “I know she is but that doesn’t mean I can’t let him know to be careful. As long as she lives under this roof I’m going to make sure she is taking care of.” “You were and still are a great father. I’m sure Kalli appreciates the fatherly love. I know Zak will behave himself the rest of the night too.” They continued following them around trying to make contact but also wanting to see if anyone appeared. Sally knew there was more than the four of them here but has never seen anyone else. They were either hiding or were just too stuck up to join them. Much like my husband’s family, Sally thought. Either way it would be nice to know. Plus it was nice to have people to talk to. People that were interested in knowing about them instead of wanting to get rid of them. So Sally got tired of following them around. She started to head downstairs when she heard her baby crying. She had left her in Kalli’s room so she could sleep, but they woke her up. Sally began to head for the bedroom when she heard Kalli singing. Every time Angel would cry Kalli would start singing a lullaby and Angel would fall back to sleep. Sally knew one day Kalli was going to make a great mother.

The baby stopped crying and the room became silent again. “I’m guessing that happens often,” Aaron asked. “Yeah it does. I’ve just gotten so use to it. I start singing and she stops crying.” They continued looking around her bedroom. Nothing much happened in there except for the baby crying. They moved on to the blood room. “This is where the soldier with the missing arm was. And right here is where the puddle of blood has appeared twice. Hopefully it won’t come back because I don’t want to have to clean it up again.” Nick walked over to the spot on the floor. “Just want to make sure there isn’t anything underneath the floor that’s causing the stain. Not that you would do anything like that but the previous owners may have.” “I actually thought of that. I’ve pulled up these three boards to see if there was anything, but there was nothing there.” “Great minds think alike don’t they,” Nick said smiling. They continued around the room not expecting anything to happen. They were getting ready to leave the room, when they heard a loud scream coming from the living room. “That has to be him, let’s hurry down.” Kalli led the way to the living room and found the soldier standing in the middle of the room. Nick, Zak, and Aaron stopped in the door frame. They’ve seen plenty of spirits but nothing like this or for this long. No one said a word for the longest time. Kalli decided she would try to talk to him again. She took a couple of steps towards him and began talking to him. “Hi there, my name is Kalli. Can you tell me your name? Is there anything I can do to help you?” The soldier looked down at his arm, back at Kalli and then shook his head no. He had a very sad look on his face before he disappeared. Kalli stared at the empty spot and began to cry. She wasn’t sure why she was crying but she felt this intense feeling of sadness. He wasn’t just sad over his injury or his death. There was something else there. Maybe someone he left behind, someone he felt great love for. If Kalli could get his name, maybe she could find his family. Let him know that they were okay. No one said anything for a few minutes, not wanting the experience to end. Nick was the first one to break the silence. “Does anyone else beside Kalli feel the sense of sadness? I feel like I’ve just lost someone close to me.” “Like you just found out a loved one died?” Zak asked. Nick shook his head, “Yeah just like that. I didn’t feel it until after he looked at his arm.” “I think he’s worried about his family. I’m wondering if they received his body or if he’s somewhere near the house. I wonder if we could find out where he is.” It was hard to move around after that experience. Instead of continuing with the investigation they decided to call it a night. Kalli decided to let them stay the night. “You guys are welcome to stay here. I’ve got two extra bedrooms, the couch or my room if you promise to behave.” “I think Zak should stay with you. See if anything happens,” Aaron said. “Why not, I don’t need any sleep tonight anyway.” Kalli laughed and headed upstairs. Nick stayed in the first room with the blood stain. Aaron was in the third room where not much happens. Kalli led Zak to her room and was thankful she had a big bed. Not that she was a saint but it’s been awhile since she’s been with anyone. Zak was just hoping he’d be able to get some sleep without being attacked. Before Kalli climbed into bed, she had something to say. “Okay Matthew, we are going to go to bed now. Zak and I promise to behave. All we are going to do is get some sleep. If anything does happen, you have my permission to stop it.” She climbed into bed and looked over at Zak, who was giving her a funny look. “That’s it; give him the okay to beat me up.” “He won’t as long as you stay on your side of the bed. Now go to sleep.”


	16. Help

Usually Matthew stayed out of Kalli’s bedroom at night, but for some reason he just didn’t trust this guy. So he spent the night making sure nothing happened. He knew she was old enough to make her own decisions but the father in him told him to protect her. All night he watched over her, protecting her.

The next morning, Kalli woke up early. She felt refreshed and well rested. Since her parent’s death, she hadn’t slept very well. Last night was different, she wasn’t sure if it was Zak or Matthew’s presence that made her feel safe. Either way she had the best sleep she’s had in a long time. Zak was still asleep so Kalli headed downstairs to make some breakfast. When she got into the kitchen Nick was already fixing some pancakes. “Well good morning Kalli. Hope you don’t mind, I decided to make some breakfast for everyone.” “That’s fine, I was just coming down to fix something myself. So how did you sleep?” “Like a baby. It is so peaceful out here, nothing like Las Vegas. Did you and Zak have a good night?” Nick asked with a smile. Kalli smiled back and shook her head. While Nick worked on the pancakes, Kalli fixed some eggs, sausage, and bacon. Once the food was done they went up to wake Aaron and Zak. “I’ll get Aaron, you can have Zak,” Nick said. Nick quietly walked into Aaron’s room. Before Kalli got to her room she heard Aaron scream. Smiling she entered her room; she slowly crawled into bed, leaned over Zak and kissed him. Zak jumped a little but settled after he saw it was only Kalli. “Now that’s the way to wake up in the morning. You sure it’s safe to be doing that? I don’t want….” Before he could finish Kalli kissed him again. Who cares if Matthew doesn’t like it, Kalli thought. Kalli gave him one last kiss and said, “Nick and I have breakfast ready, so when you’re ready come on down.” Kalli got out of bed and headed back to the kitchen. Nick and Aaron were already sitting down eating. “I didn’t hear any screams. Is Zak awake?” Nick asked. “I’m so sorry if I don’t wake people up the same way you do. I don’t want to scare someone to death.” “I don’t try to scare people; I just like to make them scream.” That got everyone laughing. Zak entered the room and asked what was going on. “Nothing, Kalli was just telling us about your fun night together,” Nick said smiling. “Well maybe she’d like to tell me exactly what happened or maybe she’d like to show me,” Zak laughed and started to sit down but the chair moved away from him. Zak landed on the floor and had to stop himself from falling backwards. Everyone jumped up, running over to make sure Zak was okay. Kalli was the first one to reach him. “Zak, are you okay?” “Yeah I’m fine. What just happened?” Aaron pulled the chair back to its spot and said, “Dude, this chair just moved before you could sit down. Someone is messing with you.” After Aaron said that, Kalli got an idea of who it could be. She headed into the living room. “Matthew, I know you can hear me. If you moved that chair, that was way out of line. You could have really hurt Zak.” She went back into the kitchen to apologize. Before she had a chance to say anything, they heard a noise coming from the living room. All four of them heard the noise and ran into the room. They looked around but didn’t see anything out of place. Aaron was the first to find the source of the noise. “I didn’t do it.” Aaron said. Everyone looked at him, trying to figure out what he was talking about. He looked at them and said, “The scrabble pieces spell out ‘I didn’t do it’. I guess that means Matthew is innocent.” “I hope this doesn’t sound mean or rude but maybe you guys should leave. Something isn’t right here and I don’t want any of you to get hurt.” “If you’re sure, we need to do our other investigation anyways. If you need anything, I mean anything at all, please call us. We’ll come running as fast as we can,” Zak said not sure if he really wanted to leave her alone. “Yeah I’m sure. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.” Kalli helped them pack up their equipment and walked them out to their truck. Nick and Aaron loaded up the truck while Zak tried one more time to either get Kalli to come with them or let them stay. “Now are you sure you don’t want us to stay. You can always come with us, at least just for tonight.” “Zak, for the last time, I’ll be fine. I’m just going to do a little research on my three roommates. I think we just need to settle down a little bit. Now go and have fun. I’ll talk to you guys later.” Zak started to say something but before he could, Kalli kissed him, told him bye and went back to the house. Zak got into the truck with the feeling that something bad was going to happen.

Matthew stood in the living room scratching his head. Last night he made sure no one hurt Kalli and the incident this morning made it look like it was him. He didn’t really like Zak but he would never do anything to hurt someone. He wasn’t even in the kitchen when it happened. He was in Kalli’s room with Jack and Sally. None of them heard anything until Kalli started yelling at him. The three of them ran down the stairs and into the kitchen to see what was going on. When Matthew heard Kalli accusing him of hurting Zak, he had to let her know it wasn’t him. He wasn’t sure if she believed him but he hoped she did. None of them wanted to hurt her, she was the best owner that’s lived here in a long time.


	17. Jack's Family

The next day Kalli decided to do some family research. She would start with Jack’s family and see if she could find any information on his family. She went to the office and started up her computer. She gathered up the articles on Jack and got to work. She put in family research and picked out one she thought would help. She decided to start with his father since she didn’t know his mother’s maiden name.

Jonathan Charles Donovan was born March 23, 1867 in Washington, Louisiana. His parents Jack and Molly Donovan owned and operated a dairy farm. Jack Donovan was killed in a farming accident when John was only thirteen years old. His mother tried to keep the farm going but eventually sold it and moved to the town. There John grew up wanting to own his own land like his father but his plans changed when he met and married Heather Ann Bailey, at the age of twenty. Eighteen year old Heather also came from a farming family. The two of them dreamed of owning a farm and raising a big family. It would take them five years before they could start a family. After a miscarriage, Heather finally gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Jack William Donovan was born October 15, 1892. Soon word got around of this special little boy and people from all over came to see him. Jack passed away from an illness on November 2, 1902. The couple only had one other child Sarah Marie, who was only three when her brother died. John Donovan passed away not long after his son died. He was shot by a stranger on June 16, 1905.

Heather Ann Bailey, born August 11, 1869, didn’t really like living on a farm. She loved the animals but hated the work. Her father Elisha Bailey was born and raised on a farm and continued until his death in 1889. Heather met John Donovan through a mutual friend. For Heather it was love at first sight. The two began dating and soon after were married. She had always wanted a big family but after her second child, she was told she could no longer have children. On October 15, 1892 she gave birth to son Jack William. The moment she held him she knew he was special. Heather would invite everyone to visit and hold her precious little boy. His first birthday was a town wide affair. Everyone was invited to see this special angel. When Jack was seven years old, he was joined by his sister Sarah Marie. Shortly after her birth, Heather was informed she could no longer have children. So naturally Sarah was spoiled since she was the last child. In October of 1902, Jack fell ill and the doctor was summoned. After he finished examining Jack, he told the parents he didn’t know what was wrong. On November 2, 1902 Jack passed away. Heather didn’t know what to do. She still had three year old Sarah but was missing her special little boy. After the death of her husband, Heather and Sarah moved to a different town until her death on May 16, 1932 of natural causes.

Sarah Marie Donovan was born on January 14, 1899. She was the younger sister of Jack and the daughter of John and Heather. Sarah was only three years old when her big brother died. She doesn’t remember much about him just what her parents told her. She lost her father just over two and a half years after losing her brother. Her and her mother moved to a nearby town where Sarah graduated from school. Sarah married Charles Deemer on July 4, 1922. They would have twin boys, Jack and John, December 14, 1924 but lost them two months later to pneumonia. The pair wouldn’t have any other children. In 1932, Sarah lost her mother Heather to natural causes. At the age of fifty-three, Sarah was diagnosed with breast cancer. By the time she went to the doctors, it was too late. Six months later on August 1, 1952 Sarah passed away leaving only her husband.

After Kalli was done with putting the research together, she decided to take a lunch break. She was sitting in the living room when her cell phone rang. “Hello?” “Hey Kalli, its Zak, Just wanted to check up on you.” “Hi Zak, like I’ve said before I’m fine. Not much has happened since you guys left.” “Good, I was worried the activity would get worse. So what are you up to?” Kalli looked down at her sandwich. “Just got done with Jack’s family research and now staring at my lunch.” “I get it, I’ll let you go for now but I will be calling again. Have to make sure my girl is safe.” “Thanks Zak, love you guys too. I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know how things are going.” “Alright Kalli, I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Bye.” Kalli hung up the phone and went back to her lunch. She still needed to work on Sally and Matthew’s families. She wasn’t sure about the solider, she never did find out who he was. Then she remembered they never did go over the evidence they captured. She was going to call Zak back but was afraid he’d talk her into leaving the house. So she decided to wait a couple of days and let them call her when they find something.

After lunch she went back up to the office to begin on Sally’s family. Sitting in the chair, Kalli stared at the screen hoping she’d find a happy ending somewhere. Jack’s family is all gone but maybe Sally will have someone left. She started to type in Sally’s name when the door flew open. She turned around not really expecting anyone to be there. There standing in the doorway was the dark shadow from the basement. It started to make its way towards Kalli. Not sure what to do, Kalli looked for a way out but the shadow had the door blocked. She tried to get up from her chair but found she couldn’t move. She tried to scream but no sound came out. The shadow moved closer until it was right in front of her face. Kalli closed her eyes; she could feel a breath on her cheeks. Then she heard a voice loud and clear in her ear. “You will soon be mine.” The shadow left the room as Kalli fell to the ground.  
 


	18. The Nightmare

Kalli woke up screaming. She looked around and noticed she was in her bedroom in her parents’ house. Now how in the world did I get her, she thought. What happened to her house in Louisiana? She got out of bed and headed downstairs. All along the hallway she could see the pictures of her family. The same ones her mom had put up. Kalli hadn’t put up any pictures in the house yet. At least none of her family, it was still too painful to look at them. She reached to top of the stairs but stopped when she heard voices coming from her grandma’s room. She went to the door, looked inside and couldn’t believe her eyes. There was her mom and grandma sitting on the bed talking to each other. “Hi sweetheart, did you sleep well?” her mom asked. Kalli didn’t know what to say. She shouldn’t be here; none of them should be here. “Fine thanks, I’m going to go soak in the tub for awhile.” She needed to think for awhile. She knew her mom would leave her alone if she was taking a bath. “Don’t blame you one bit honey. As much as you’ve been studying you could use the break.” Kalli went in, kissed them both and headed towards the bathroom. She locked the door behind her and ran a nice hot bath.

Kalli laid there thinking, trying to figure out if this was real or a dream. If felt real but so did the other house. What about Jack, Sally and Matthew, did they really exist? Maybe she could look them up later to check. If this was a dream, she wanted to enjoy it while it lasted. Getting to spend time with her family was something she missed so much. Enjoying the hot water on her body, she decided not to say anything to her parents. Kalli climbed out of the tub, dried off and looked in the mirror. Could she really have dreamed of that? Did Jack, Sally and Matthew really exist? Maybe she could check the internet to find them. Then she’ll know for sure if she was dreaming or not. After getting dressed, she went downstairs to find her mom fixing lunch. “Hope you’re hungry because I’ve made your favorite, grilled ham and cheese sandwiches.” Kalli smiled and sat down at the table. She looked around soaking it all in. she’s dreamed of doing this ever since her parents died. She wanted to spend more time with her family.

The whole day went just like they were before. She finished her lunch, and then went back to her room to do her school work. There was so much to do, she lost track of time. Before she knew it her dad was home from work and it was time for dinner. At the dining table everyone talked about their day. Everything was just the way it should be. Kalli forgot all about this morning. After dinner they went into the living room for family movie night. It was Grandma’s turn to pick the movie and just like always she picked some black and white movie from the 1940s. It wasn’t a bad movie but not Kalli’s type. She liked horror movies but enjoyed all kinds. She loved family movie night. They made popcorn, ordered pizza and just enjoyed being a family. After the movie went off, it was time for bed. They all said goodnight and headed off to bed. Kalli crawled into bed, forgetting about the strange feeling she had this morning.

The next morning Kalli woke up feeling better. She stopped thinking about the other house. She was just enjoying her family. She felt like she was giving a second chance to be with them and she was going to enjoy every minute of it. Getting up from bed the first thing she did was check on her grandma. “Good morning, Grandma. How are you feeling this morning?” Her grandma rolled over to look at her. Kalli gasped when she saw her face. Her eyes were sunken in and her face looked like it was melting. That was the only word to describe it, melting. “Good morning, dear. I’m feeling great this morning thanks. And how about you, did you sleep well?” Grandma sounded like herself but she didn’t look like she was okay. “Yeah I did, Grandma. Is there anything I can get for you?” “Oh no dear I’m fine. You go on down for breakfast. Tell your mother I’ll be down in a little while.” Her grandma smiled and Kalli had to fight back the urge to get sick. Her teeth were starting to look black, like she’s never brushed them. Just last night they were white, nothing horrible about them. Kalli smiled back and quickly ran down the stairs. She wanted to let her mom know what was going on. As usual Kalli found her in the kitchen. “Mom, I really need to talk to you,” Kalli said as she entered the kitchen. Her mom turned around, “What’s the matter sweetheart?” Kalli couldn’t believe her eyes. Her mother looks just like her grandma. She looked like her mom but her face was melting. Kalli was starting to wonder if her father’s face was doing the same thing. Just then a creepy and scary thought entered her mind. What if my face looks like that? She quickly turned around and ran to the downstairs bathroom. Quickly shutting the door, locking it and reaching for the lights switch, Kalli hesitated for a moment, not wanting to see her image in the mirror. Taking a deep breath, she flipped the light switch and felt a wave of relief wash over her. The reflection in the mirror looked normal. No sunken eyes, no black teeth or melting skin. So if she was fine what was wrong with the others? How could they have gotten sick this fast? There’s no way they could look like death that quickly. Or could they? Kalli went back into the kitchen and found her mom and grandma discussing dinner. When they saw her walk in, her mom asked her if she was alright. “Are you feeling okay, Kalli? You ran to the bathroom awfully fast.” Not sure if she should say anything or not, Kalli just said, “Yeah mom, I’m fine. I’m just feeling a little sick today. Maybe I’ll just stay in bed today. I should feel better tomorrow.” She quickly turned and ran to her room. What is going on here, Kalli wondered. Crawling under the covers, Kalli just wanted this nightmare to end. She heard her dad come in to check on her but was too afraid to look at him. Not long after he left, she fell into a deep restless sleep.

The next morning Kalli awoke to a loud scream. She threw back the covers, ran down the stairs and found her mom in the kitchen. Without even thinking she asked, “Mom are you okay? What’s the matter?” Her mom turned around, looked at Kalli and said, “Nothing dear, just wanted to get you downstairs.” Kalli took a step back, staring at her mom’s face which was now just bone. All the flesh was gone from her face. Her eyes were replaced with two black holes. Kalli tried to leave the room but her dad was behind her. Then her grandma entered through the side door. All three of them were nothing but bones. “What do you want from me? Please tell me what is going on?” Kalli dropped to her knees and started crying. Her mom bent down and ran her skeleton hand through Kalli’s hair. “Why dear it’s simple. All we want is you. Soon you’ll be joining your family. Oh wait, sorry about that I was wrong. Your soul will never make it to Heaven. You’ll be stuck here with the rest of these poor pathetic souls. You’ll be forced to wonder this house for all eternity.” Kalli rolled herself into a ball and began to pray. She could hear her family laughing and taunting her. The laughter slowly faded away as Kalli fell into a deep sleep.


	19. Sally's Family

Kalli woke up and looked around. She was lying on the ground in her office in her house. She slowly got up, sat back in her chair and rubbed her eyes. “That was the worst nightmare,” she said out loud. Looking at the computer screen, she saw Jack’s family story still on the screen. Without giving the nightmare another thought, she moved on to Sally’s life.

Mahala Cole never got over the death of her oldest daughter. Sally and her first grandchild she named Angel. Life had always been hard for her. Her family never had a lot of money but there was enough to get by. Born in Georgia on April 5, 1882, Mahala moved to Washington, Louisiana with her husband. Life on a farm went pretty smooth for the two of them, with the help of a couple of farmhands. The couple added two children to their lives, Sally and Tabitha. After her husband’s death, Mahala moved the girls into town, where young Sally acted out. Around the age of fifteen, Mahala had to make one of the toughest decisions of her life. She kicked Sally out of her home. Later Mahala found out her daughter had married Michael Mayfield. Not long after that Sally was pregnant. The Mayfield family allowed Mahala to be with her daughter on what was supposed to be a special day. That special day ended tragically with the deaths of mother and daughter. Mahala never remarried and had no other children or grandchildren. She passed away on October 15, 1942 of a heart attack at the age of sixty.

After Sally’s death, her sister Tabitha, born on July 24, 1917, wanted to honor her memory. After graduation from school, Tabitha started the Angel Sally Foundation. The foundation would help teenage parents deal with any and all issues that would pop up. Tabitha helped build apartment buildings that would offer free rooms to pregnant teens that didn’t have a home. They would receive help getting on their feet and providing them with the job skills they needed. It was while working here that she met her husband Robert Buckner. The two had the same passions in life and soon after were married. For years the couple tried to conceive a child of their own but it wasn’t meant to be. In June of ninety-three, Tabitha was diagnosed with lung cancer. She put up a brave fight but lost the war on December 4, 1995 at the age of seventy-eight. Her husband continued her work until his death on September 11, 2001. Visiting a friend in the World Trade Center, they both were found days later hugging each other.

Kalli finished up with Sally’s family then decided to see what happened to her husband. She found a newspaper article about him.

Michael Mayfield, born on February 3, 1907, was murdered last night. On March 23, 1937, thirty year old Mayfield found his way into the home of Emily Demoss. It is not clear if Mr. Mayfield knew before entering the house that Mrs. Demoss was married. Around ten p.m. Mrs. Demoss’ husband, Andrew Demoss, came home to find his wife and Mr. Mayfield in bed. In a fit of rage, Mr. Demoss took out a shotgun and killed the two of them. When asked why he did it, he had this to say, “No man should mess with another man’s wife. And no wife should betray her husband.” Mr. Demoss is being held in the local jail awaiting his trail for the deaths of Mr. Michael Mayfield and Mrs. Emily Demoss.

Kalli had to smile at that. Sally was going to love that part. Kalli finished up Sally’s information and decided to take a break. She went downstairs and headed into the backyard. She found herself a chair, leaned back and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she fell asleep.


	20. Evil

“Kalli wake up its starting to rain.” Kalli opened her eyes to see Zak standing above her. “Zak what are you doing here?” “Me and the boys wrapped up our case and decided to head straight home. Nick and Aaron are going to help Billy go over the evidence. I just wanted to get home to my beautiful wife.” He leaned down, kissed her and went inside. “Wife? Why would he call me that? We just met each other.” Kalli thought out loud. She looked down at her hand and sure enough there was a wedding ring. Before she had a chance to question the ring, the skies opened up and soaked Kalli. She ran for the back door but by the time she made it she was soaking wet. She stepped into the kitchen and wondered how she was going to get to her room without leaving puddles. She decided to try something even though she was sure this was real. “Zak could you please bring me a towel?” She waited a few minutes then Zak appeared with her towel. “I told you it was starting to rain. What took you so long to come in?” he asked laughing. Kalli took the towel and said, “Just wanted to take a quick shower. Clothes needed washed also.” They both laughed as she dried herself off. “Go on upstairs and get out of those wet clothes. I’m going to go pick up our lunch. Be back in a little while.” He kissed her goodbye and left the house.

Kalli walked through the kitchen, and into the living room. She looked around to see if anything was out of place. Trying to see if this was a dream or if she was really here. Nothing was out of place; everything was right where she put it. The only difference was the four folders on the coffee table. She walked over to the couch, sat down and picked up one of the folders. On the front cover she read “Jack Donovan.” She opened it up and began reading her research. This was what she was working on but didn’t remember finishing it completely. She read the ones for Sally and Matthew. How can this be possible? She never started on Matthew’s family but here it was. There was even a letter in it from his daughter Libby, telling her dad about her life and how much she missed him. Kalli didn’t even know she was still alive. So far in her research everyone’s family is gone. She started to pick up the last one but Zak walked in announcing lunch time.

Kalli walked upstairs to change clothes. Along the way she looked at every picture hanging up. She’d finally put up her family pictures. Added to those were photos of her and Zak, including their wedding pictures. Is it possible, she lost part of her memory? Could this all be real or just another nightmare? After she changed she headed down to lunch. She was going to ask Zak is she suffered any trauma recently. She sat down and began eating. She was trying to figure out just how to ask, when Zak spoke. “So you feeling any better today?” Kalli shook her head no. “I feel like I’m in a dream. I can’t remember us getting married. The last thing I remember doing is the family research.” “The doctors said it would take some time before you remember what happened, if you remember at all.” “Tell me what happened, Zak. I feel like I did in this nightmare I had.” “You mean the one with your family?” Kalli looked up at him. She never told him about the nightmare or did she. Now she really wanted to know what was going on.

Zak put down his fork and began to tell her the story. “It was a couple months after we got married. I was off working in New Mexico and you wanted to stay behind to finish your research. You called after you were done and told me you were going down to get something to eat. They said you stayed for an hour before you left. It was just beginning to rain, nothing serious at first. Then the sky darkened and the sirens went off. The tornado wasn’t a big one but it was powerful. They think you may have gotten caught and your car was sent flying. Some of the town got together to look for survivors. They found your car turned upside down. One of them checked to see if you were alive and was surprised to find a pulse. They got you out of there as fast as they could without hurting you. I heard about it on the weather channel and rushed home. The doctor said you suffered some brain damage. He didn’t think you were going to make it but I refused to give up on you. You were in a coma for six months before you woke up. You couldn’t remember who I was at first, but everything after our wedding you couldn’t remember. Every day it’s a challenge and I have to tell you things over again but it’s worth it.” Kalli started to cry. How long before she remembers? How many times has he had to tell her that story? “I’m so sorry Zak, I had no idea,” she said softly. Zak wrapped her up in a hug and whispered, “Its okay, I’ll always be here to remind you that you are mine.” Without finishing their lunch, they headed to their bedroom.

The next morning, Kalli lay in bed trying to remember what happened. She closed her eyes and tried to remember the crash. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember anything. After an hour of trying she got out of bed. Walking around the house, she hoped a picture would jog her memory. So many happy memories but none of them helped her remember. Standing in the middle of the living room, Kalli once again became suspicious. “I wish I could tell if this was real or a dream,” she said out loud. A loud bang behind her made her jump. As she quickly turned around she saw Jack standing in front of her. “Oh my gosh, Jack, you scared the hell out of me. What you are doing here?” Jack stared at her with a sad expression on his face. “Jack honey is everything okay? Please tell me what it is?” He tried to speak but nothing came out. Tears ran down his face as he realized he couldn’t tell her. He looked around to see if there was something he could use. Just then he noticed the folders on the table. He pointed to them and tried to get Kalli to read them. “I’ve read them already. It’s just the research I did for the three of you. There’s nothing in them but your information.” Jack shook his head and pointed at the table again. Kalli still didn’t get it and could tell Jack was getting upset. He pointed at the folders, and then began counting on his fingers. When he got to four he pointed to the folders. He started to count again. When he got to three he pointed to himself. It took a minute, but then realized what he was saying. There were only three of them but there were four folders on the table. Kalli just assumed it was for the soldier but what if it wasn’t. She walked over to the table, picked up the folders and started to open them. Before she got the first one opened, Zak walked in. “Hey baby, did you sleep good last night?” She looked up at him and smiled. “I sure did thanks to you.” “Good, now put those down and come with me. I have a surprise for you.” “Really? What is it?” Zak took the folders out of her hand and led her out the front door. He put her in the car and started driving. “Zak, seriously where are we going?” “I told you it’s a surprise. You’ll just have to wait until we get there.” They rode in silence the rest of the way. Zak pulled into the park and pulled into an empty parking spot. The two of them got out of the car and walked toward a group of people. “Okay now can you tell me what is going on?” “We are going to enjoy a day out with the town. Today is a very special day in their history.” “What is it?” “Not sure, I just found out myself but it sounded like fun.” Kalli told herself that she was going to have fun today no matter what. Just a normal day out with her husband.

There was so much to take in. Apparently the celebration was for some day a war was fought here. Kalli wasn’t really sure what it was for but she was having a great time. She forgot all about the feelings she had this morning. Zak was making sure her mind didn’t wonder too far away. They rode every ride and Zak tried to play every game. He won a few but it was more fun watching him try. They tried the different foods and just had a really good time. That night there was a great big firework display. Kalli and Zak curled up on a blanket and enjoyed the show. By the time they got home, Kalli was exhausted and fell right to sleep.

The next morning, Kalli woke up feeling refreshed. She got dressed and walked down to the kitchen. Zak was already fixing breakfast. “Good morning, baby, did you sleep well?” she walked over to him, kissed him, and said, “I sure did, yesterday was so much fun. I’m glad you talked me into going.” “You’re welcome. I’m glad you had fun. It was nice to see you smiling again.” She was feeling better, even though she still couldn’t remember anything. “I think after breakfast I’m going to go walking around town. See if I can jog my memory about what happened.” “Sounds like a good idea. Do you want me to come along with you?” “Thanks but I think I’m going to go by myself. Just try to clear my head.” “Okay, just be careful.” After breakfast, Kalli got dressed and headed into town.

Walking around, Kalli did a little window shopping. Every shop she went in, someone asked her if she was okay. She would smile and tell them she was doing better. She still couldn’t remember anything but that was okay. She decided it was time to stop thinking about what happened and just focus on what is going on now. It was time to start focusing on her life with Zak. Walking around she came across the antique shop, she went in and was greeted with the same how are you feeling speech. She looked around waiting for something to pop out at her. Something that would be perfect in her home. She didn’t see anything at first but then something towards the back caught her eye. There in the back was this beautiful old fashion baby crib. This thing looked to be about a hundred years old. Kalli looked at the price tag and saw it was four hundred dollars. That was a lot of money but she just had to have it. She called Zak up to let him know what she found. “Honey, you need to come down to the antique shop on Main Street.” Why is everything okay?” “Yeah everything’s fine, I just found an incredible piece but I wanted to get your opinion about it first.” “Alright I’ll be there in five.” Kalli hung up the phone and went back to admiring the crib. Six minutes later Zak walked in and Kalli motioned him to the back. “So where is this incredible piece you have to show me?” “It’s over here. I know we don’t need one yet but it is absolutely beautiful.” Kalli took him over to the crib and showed it to him. Zak looked at it, then looked at her, and said, “You want to buy a baby crib?” “I know it sounds weird but I was drawn to this piece. I don’t know why but I just really want it.” “How much is it?” “That’s why I called you, its four hundred dollars. I know it’s a lot but I have the money.” “Baby I’m not worried about the money. If you want it then let’s get it.” Kalli stood by the crib while Zak went to pay for it. He was having them deliver it later that day. So Kalli had time to find a place for it. The owner didn’t know much about the crib. She didn’t know who had previously owned it. She bought it in an auction sale last year and wasn’t told much about it. Kalli didn’t care about that part; she was just ready to get it home. She headed straight home and decided to use the office as the new baby room. It would remain an office but part of it will be for the nursery. Not that there would be a lot of baby items just the crib. Maybe she could find matching pieces to make a complete set. Kalli had everything rearranged by the time the crib arrived. She had the movers put it upstairs in its place. After they left, she sat down in her chair and admired the newest addition to the house. She closed her eyes and pictured herself using the crib.


	21. The Unknown

Kalli woke up to the sounds of crying. Without thinking she got up, went to the crib and picked up the baby. She rocked her gently and sang her a lullaby. The little girl slowly drifted back to sleep. Kalli laid her down and quietly left the room. She headed downstairs and joined Zak in the living room. “How’s our little angel doing?” he asked her. “Sleeping, hopefully for a couple more hours,” she said as she sat down. They sat quietly together on the couch, watching some old TV show. After that went off, Kalli flipped through the channels until she came to an episode of Ghost Adventures. They watched a little, and then Kalli looked at Zak and said, “Do you miss it?” “Not really, I have enough here to keep me busy. Besides I’m not going to go traveling the world and leave you here alone with Mackenzie. I don’t want to miss a single thing our daughter does.” He kissed her and they finished watching the show. They almost made it to the end before Mackenzie woke up. “I’ll get her; you just sit there and relax.” Zak got up and went to pick up Mackenzie. Kalli laid back and finished the show. Zak came down with a smiling Mackenzie. They sat down together, enjoying some family time. Kalli was thinking about how lucky she was to have such a wonderful family. She wished her parents were here to see them. They would have loved Mackenzie, being the first grandchild and hopefully not the last. She wanted more children and she hoped Zak did too.

The next day Zak had to head off to work so Kalli would be home alone. Kalli and Mackenzie stood outside as Zak loaded up the truck. “Now if you need anything just call.” “Zak, honey we will be fine. Go have fun.” They kissed and Zak climbed into the truck. “Tell daddy bye-bye,” Kalli said to Mackenzie. After the truck was out of sight, the girls headed inside. Kalli gave her a bottle and then put her down for a nap. Heading down to the living room, Kalli laid down on the couch exhausted. She closed her eyes for a minute. She slowly started to fall asleep when she felt someone grab her leg. She sat up, looked around but there was no one there. She started to lie down again but heard a loud bang come from the coffee table. She looked at the table and noticed her research papers on the table. She sat up and grabbed the three packets. She read through each one. Jack and Sally’s she could remember by heart but for some reason she couldn’t remember Matthew’s. She knows she did it because she had it in her hand. Reading through she tried to remember the information but no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t. Even after finishing, nothing about the article was familiar to her. She put the three packets down wondering why they wanted her to read them. Kalli started to get up off the couch but remembered something. Looking at the table she realized there was one packet missing. She remembered there being four not three. She looked around the table, inside the table, and even under it but couldn’t find it. She decided she was going to search every room looking for it.

Kalli searched the entire living room but found nothing. Heading into the kitchen, she started searching every drawer and every cabinet. Pretty soon the kitchen was done; she even managed to clean while looking. Not finding it downstairs, she headed upstairs. Opening the door to the first room, she was greeted by the soldier. Every time Kalli’s seen him, he’s always sad. This time he looked he was mad at her. She could feel his eyes, they felt so cold. She took a step towards him but he held up a hand to stop her. She didn’t know what to do at this point, he’d always seemed friendly. She tried one more time to get close but this time he spoke to her. “You won’t find what you seek in here. You know where to look.” After that the soldier disappeared. Standing there Kalli wasn’t sure what to do next. Should she still search the room or move on to the next? He said she knew where to look but she had no idea what he was talking about. After a few minutes she decided to go check out her room.

Walking into her room she felt a blast of cold air. Looking around she half expected to see someone standing there. No one was there but she could still feel a presence. Not seeing or hearing anyone, Kalli began to search the room. The first place she looked was the hidden spot in the wall. She opened the door and tried to peer inside. It seemed darker this time. Kalli couldn’t see anything inside. She put her hand inside to see if she could feel anything. Expecting to feel Jack’s toys, she was surprised to feel nothing at all. Putting the door back on, Kalli got up and moved to the closet. Opening the closet door, she was met with an extremely cold blast of air. Ignoring it, Kalli moved her clothes out of the way and was met with the spirit of a young woman. Stepping back, the woman floated out of the closet towards her. The woman pointed towards her and said, “What you are looking for is not in this room. You know where it is. You know where to look.” After that the woman floated back into the closet and disappeared. Kalli stood there not sure what to think. This was the second spirit to tell her that she knew where to look. They seemed to know what was going on but no one was willing to tell her. She still had no idea what she was looking for or where it was. She thought she was looking for a folder but she wasn’t so sure now. There was one more room to search and that was Mackenzie’s room.

Standing outside Mackenzie’s room, Kalli was terrified to open the door. Would there be someone in there with her daughter? Is her daughter in any danger? Slowly opening the door, she waited for the cold air. There was no change in the temperature. The room was quiet which meant Mackenzie was sound asleep. Tying not to make any noise, Kalli walked to the crib. Peeking into the crib, Kalli let out a loud gasp. The crib was empty, baby Mackenzie was no longer there. Kalli grabbed her phone out of her pocket, wanting to call Zak but her phone didn’t work. Panicking she ran around the room knowing no one had came into the house. She would have seen them walk by and would have heard them. Running towards the door she was going to start looking. Just as she grabbed the doorknob, she felt the blast of cold air. Taking a deep breath, Kalli slowly turned around. Standing in the middle of the room was Zak and he was holding Mackenzie. Kalli knew there was no way that man standing in front of her was her husband. “Who are you?” Kalli asked. “You know who I am. I’m your husband, and this is our precious little girl.” He sounded just like Zak but his eyes gave him away. Instead of those gentle brown eyes, there were two black holes. Kalli had a hard time looking at him but was too afraid to look away. “You are not my husband! Who are you?” He laughed, looked at her and said, “How would you know, you aren’t even married. None of this is real. Well Zak is real but your life together isn’t. And this right here in my hands…” He lifted Mackenzie up in the air and let go. Kalli tried to grab her but someone was holding her back. Horrified she watched as her baby girl landed on the floor. Instead of hearing her cry out, the blankets fell open and showed nothing was there. Kalli looked at him furious. “What did you do with my daughter? Where did you put her? If you don’t give her back to me now I’ll….” “Whoa there princess, I didn’t do anything to her since she doesn’t exist. You see everything you know, well at least what you think you know, is a lie. Zak isn’t real, Mackenzie isn’t real, and all of this is just a dream. Of course, your spirit friends are real but you never listened to them.” Kalli turned away trying to figure out what was happening. Could he be telling the truth or is he just messing with me. “How do I know you’re not lying to me?” He looked at her and began to laugh. “You want to see more proof? Seeing your daughter disappear wasn’t enough for you? Then how about this for proof.” He stepped to the side, letting Kalli see behind him. Lying there on the floor, Kalli could see herself. She was in a heap on the floor near her chair. She could see the pool of blood around her head. “This can’t be real? I’m not dead, I know I’m not.” “Your friend Jack didn’t know either until Sally told him. Of course he wasn’t the first one I took. Before I would take just about anyone but these days I’m a little pickier. And right now I want you and I will have you.”


	22. Matthew's Family

Kalli sat up quickly trying to catch her breath. Looking around she saw she was outside, not inside the house. Sitting there trying to remember everything that happened, Kalli wasn’t sure what was going on. Deciding to forget about it, she headed inside, up the stairs, into her office and sat down at her computer. Turning it on, she noticed she only had two researches finished. Taking a deep breath, she began working on Matthew’s family.

Evelyn Bowman was born on May 5, 1878. Not much could be found about her family. I have some ideas but can’t be sure if they are related. She married Joseph Cunningham on March 10, 1900. On August 16, 1901 they welcomed Matthew Joseph Cunningham into their lives. They knew their only son would grow up to be someone important. Matthew always wanted to help those around him. If someone asked for help, he was there for them. Evelyn Cunningham passed away almost ten years after losing her son on May 23, 1963 of natural causes.

Matthew married Jacqueline Williams on August 30, 1931. Jacqueline was born on November 30, 1904. Her father was the town doctor who opened a school to teach and train others. That is where she would meet her future husband. On May 4, 1933, she gave birth to their daughter Libby Marie Cunningham. Jacqueline’s life from that moment on was nothing but perfect. She had a great husband and the perfect daughter. Until one day, the day their little girl was leaving home. Sometime during the night on August 13, 1953, Libby Cunningham went missing. Jacqueline never remarried after her husband’s death on September 3, 1953. She passed away at the age of ninety-seven on June 16, 2001 of natural causes.

Not much can be found on Libby. The police didn’t have many clues to go on. They knew they had a serial killer going after young women but didn’t know much. So many parents lost their daughters to this killer. Matthew never got the chance to learn his daughter’s fate. Just two weeks after her father’s death, Libby was found wondering the side of the road. Police questioned her for a few hours but couldn’t get anything out of her. Either she didn’t remember or she was just too scared to talk. Her mother took her home and sheltered her from the media. To this day Libby has never talked about what happened to her during all those weeks. Kalli did find out that she is still alive at the young age of seventy-seven. She got married and had four children, three girls and one boy. Add to that seven grandchildren.

“Well Matthew, I’ve got some great news for you. Your little girl Libby is still alive. You are the proud grandfather of four and great-grandfather of seven.” Kalli was happy she could give Matthew some good news. Most of the research has been not really bad but nothing that happy. Standing up, Kalli stretched her body. She didn’t want to lie down again, since it seemed every time she did she had a bad dream. Instead, she went down to the kitchen to find some food. She was going to call Zak but only got voice mail. “Must be working, guess I’ll try you later. Bye.” After finishing her food, Kalli realized it was almost midnight. “Guess I should get some sleep. Hopefully no bad dreams this time.” As she made her way up to her room, she didn’t see Zak watching her from the living room.


	23. Good-Bye

Kalli lay down on her bed, afraid to close her eyes. What if something happens again, she didn’t think she could go through that again. Would she know the difference this time? Knowing she wouldn’t, Kalli sat up in bed and reached for the remote to her television. Flipping through the channels, trying to find something that would keep her awake, she found an episode of Ghost Adventures. Leaving it on that channel, she realized she’d never seen this episode before. Something about the town seemed familiar to her. At first she couldn’t figure out why but then she saw it. The guys were standing in front of the local diner in her town. She knew they filmed some of it but they said they weren’t going to show it. Plus there was no way it would have made it on television that fast. She kept watching to see what else they would show. They pulled up to her house and started to head inside. “That’s impossible; the only time they were here I was with them.” Kalli couldn’t understand how this was possible. There was no way this could be real. That’s it, she thought, I’m asleep and all this is a dream. She felt a little better knowing it was a dream. Hopefully this one won’t be as bad as the others.

Zak walked up to the front door not wanting to go in. “This has got to be the hardest investigation we’ve ever done. This one is very personal to the three of us. A very special young woman used to live here. Her name was Kalli Thomason and we had the pleasure to meet her the last time we were here.” They walked in and looked around. Everything was the way it was the last time they were here. Nick walked to the kitchen and looked around. He turned and said, “We did an investigation last time and found some really disturbing evidence.” “Yeah we did, and that was what brought us back the second time,” Aaron said. Zak didn’t say much, he wasn’t sure what to say. He hadn’t known her for that long but he never thought it would be the last time. Quietly he walked up the stairs to her bedroom. Nick and Aaron followed behind with the cameras. He reached for the doorknob but didn’t open the door. He looked at Nick and Aaron, and then said, “Someone is in this room. The doorknob is freezing cold and I just feel the energy.” Zak opened the door and the three of them walked in. “This is where I found her,” Zak continued. “When we listened to our evidence from before we heard a voice saying she belonged to him. We heard that several times. The thing that really got us was the evp that said when you leave she’d dead. We rushed over as fast as we could but we were too late. The doctors said it looked like a heart attack but we know better.” The three of them stood around her bed. “Kalli if you can hear us, we are so sorry we couldn’t do anything for you. We just hope you will be able to rest in peace,” Nick said. They waited a few minutes and then played back their recorder. After Nick spoke they heard three words, “It’s okay, good-bye.” The three of them looked at each other and with tears in their eyes, said good-bye.

The screen on the television went blank. Kalli couldn’t believe what she had just heard. There was no way she was dead. If she was she would know it right? Getting up she walked around, not sure what to do next. “Wait a minute, I get it now. This is just another one of your nightmares isn’t it shadow man. You are just messing with me again. Well it won’t work this time, I’m on to your little game. Go ahead try to make me go crazy it won’t work.” Laughing Kalli headed downstairs to the living room. There was no way he was going to get her this time. She was one step ahead of him this time. There was no way he was going to trick her this time. She was going to be the one pulling the tricks around here. Sitting in the living room, she tried to think of a way to get back at him. Kalli wanted to prove to him that she wasn’t afraid of him. She decided to call him out and face him.

“I know you are here. Come out right now and face me. I am tired of this crap you keep putting me through. Get your shadowy ass out here right now.” Kalli was getting tired of his games. She wanted some answers now. She was about to start yelling again when she heard a noise behind her. She turned around to see a man standing in the doorway. It wasn’t anyone she knew personally but she knew it was him. “About time you showed up. I want some answers now. Why are you doing this to me?” Kalli said. The man watched her and walked across the doorway. He watched her for the longest time before he finally spoke. “I’ve already told you why I’m doing this to you. I wanted you to be a part of my family just like the others.” He walked into the living room. He began walking around Kalli and just stared at her. Kalli tried not to show any fear but couldn’t hide it. She tried to move away from him but he was moving too fast. As he circled her, he continued to talk to her. “I really want you to be my family. It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten a new member. And as of two days ago, I’ve finally gotten what I want. I got you, and there is nothing you can do about it.” Laughing, he disappeared and left Kalli standing in the living room alone. It took a couple of minutes before she realized what he meant. Kalli fell to the floor and began crying.

Zak, Nick and Aaron left the bedroom and went to the living room. It was very emotional in the bedroom. It was hard to say goodbye to Kalli. They hadn’t known her for very long but it felt like they’d known each other for a lifetime. Sitting in the living room, the three of them sat there quietly for the longest time. None of them knew what to do. They knew they should leave but they just couldn’t bring themselves to leave. Zak especially didn’t want to leave. He felt if he left, Kalli would be alone in this house. Nick was the first one to get up. “Guys I think it’s time to leave. I know no one wants to leave Kalli but we need to get going.” Zak and Aaron got up knowing he was right. Before they left, Zak said goodbye one more time. “Sorry we have to go Kalli but we’ll always be thinking of you. Bye.” They started towards the door but stopped when they heard a noise on the coffee table. They walked over and looked down at the scrabble tiles. There on the table was ‘Thank you’ spelled out. The guys walked to the door and started to walk out. Zak turned around and said, “You’re welcome, Kalli.”


	24. New Life

Randal Brooks was sitting in his car waiting for the new owners to show up. It didn’t seem that long ago that he was showing this house to that nice young lady. Too bad about her, doctors said she stressed her little heart out. Randal wasn’t sure he could sell it after word got out that someone died inside. The new owners were very excited that they got the house. Even after they were told the stories, they still wanted it. He was just glad it sold so quickly, he hated coming here. The new owners pulled up and got out of the car. The young couple couldn’t wait to get the keys. They’ve been looking for a haunted house for awhile and couldn’t believe their luck when this one popped up. They were both fascinated with the paranormal and wanted to find out if there really was life after death. This house was the perfect place to conduct their experiments.

Jack stood in the window and watched the people down below. “Do you think they’ll be nice to us or should we hide from them?” he looked over at the bed where Kalli was sitting. She was rocking Angel and looked up at Jack. “I don’t know sweetheart. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see. For now I think we need to stay out of sight until we know for sure.” Kalli stood up, laid Angel on the bed, and walked over to the window. Looking down at the new owners, Kalli wondered what they wanted the house for. Jack looked up at her and said, “I hope they are just like you were when you first moved in. I really liked you, you were nice to me.” “What do you mean I was nice to you? I still am or do you think I’m mean,” she teased him. They played around until the front door opened. Kalli looked at Jack and said, “Last one down is a rotten egg.” The two of them ran down the stairs to meet the new owners. At the foot of the stairs, she saw Him standing there. She looked at him, shook her head no and he disappeared. Turning back to Jack, she heard him yelling, “You’re the rotten egg.”

 

 

The End


End file.
